[mbrando1994]

Hi all,

I'm doing some work for a rather difficult client and am requesting some help.

She purchased cheap stick on tiles for about 10 dollars a pack and wanted to stick those directly on her rotting floorboards.. I told her this would not really work since the floor is not flush and the existing boards are rotting and not safe to hold a load, not to mention they'd be getting wet.

So she agreed to put down a new subfloor or lay one on top of the existing boards. Unfortunately she went ahead and had the plywood delivered herself. It is only 5/8" plywood no tongue and groove. The joists are 16" apart but the issue here is the thickness of the plywood..is that thick enough? I thought 3/4" was the minimum. Also, there are baseboard heaters in the bathroom, I'm assuming these would need to be moved up to accommodate for the increased floor height. How to go about that exactly?

I'm almost ready to give up here, she hired me to sweep up her cellar and finagled me into remodeling her bathroom somehow, however she wants everything done for close to nothing and with bathrooms, that's just not a feasible thing. She isn't going to take the plywood back as it had to be delivered. What do you guys recommend I do here with this floor? Thanks!

 

[JazMan]

You called the floor "floorboards". That means you're looking at a plank subfloor. If not, please explain starting with what is the subfloor made of and is there an underlayment over the subfloor. Tell us the thickness and condition. How old is the house.

I don't know about the baseboard heaters, there may be some slake. Can they be raised, is there any play in the pipes? You'd have to remove the covers and maybe a few other screws to find out. If the subfloor is rotted, isn't it gonna be removed?

Jaz

 

[Mingledtrash]

Sounds like your in a bit over your head. What are you going to do if you start removing the old floor boards and find structural problems underneath. Before you or your client do anymore ordering of materials you need to take a step back and reassess the situation.

You are taking on a lot of liability. you mentioned this is a "rather difficult client". What happens when this difficult client is not satisfied with your work no matter how good of a job you did. most states require some level of insurance, bonding and licensing and for good reason.

 

[mbrando1994]

Sounds like your in a bit over your head. What are you going to do if you start removing the old floor boards and find structural problems underneath. Before you or your client do anymore ordering of materials you need to take a step back and reassess the situation.

You are taking on a lot of liability. you mentioned this is a "rather difficult client". What happens when this difficult client is not satisfied with your work no matter how good of a job you did. most states require some level of insurance, bonding and licensing and for good reason.

The reason they are difficult is because they want to cut corners in impossible ways, and it's taking me, her brothers, as well as a licensed plumber to convince her into some things. The floorboards are not completely rotted, just in certain areas, it's nothing too major but certainly cheap stick on linoleum tiles are not going to stick to it. The only reason she won't be satisfied is if she has to fork out money for things she deems unnecessary. She absolutely loves any work I've ever done for her (I've been working with her a while). Also, I had no control over her ordering the supplies. This is another reason I called her difficult. It would usually be up to me to discuss what's needed, get approval, and then I go and get it. However, she just called this wood supply place and got three sheets of that, they also told her she could paint her shower walls and that doing so would last 5 years. I don't buy into any of that. Also as I said I'm nearing the point where what she wants done is beyond my knowledge and expertise. I'm good with most things, just not all. I hope she understands that as I never agreed to doing half the things she wants done.

 

[mbrando1994]

You called the floor "floorboards". That means you're looking at a plank subfloor. If not, please explain starting with what is the subfloor made of and is there an underlayment over the subfloor. Tell us the thickness and condition. How old is the house.

I don't know about the baseboard heaters, there may be some slake. Can they be raised, is there any play in the pipes? You'd have to remove the covers and maybe a few other screws to find out. If the subfloor is rotted, isn't it gonna be removed?

Jaz

The existing floor is in fact 1x3 planks, tongue and groove. They had thin blue carpet glued over the planks and then more carpet just resting on top of that. The house is most likely built in the late 1800's. The joists appear to be in good standing, just some of the boards are rotting away next to the tub and toilet. Also, none of the boards are flush anymore I'm guessing due to swelling. At this point she wants to "patch" it up until she has more money, I understand that, but the status of the floor is in no way able to be 'patched'. I have tried countless times and there's no way the tile she wants glued down will work. This is why I suggested a new floor, I never instructed her to order anything nor did I even say I'd do it. I do gen labor, painting, electrical, and most plumbing. I am not a carpenter and I do not have much experience with floors and I've explained this to her countless times. I'm cheap and that's why she's trying to force me into this instead of paying a carpenter. It's annoying, but I am finishing the job I agreed to and getting out of there.

 

[joecaption]

I learned the hard way long ago when dealing with my class A personality customers it's better to say no once in a while when asked to do anything you know will never work.
It will come back to bite you sooner or latter.
I strive to have someone ask "who did that for you, looks nice", not "who did that to you".
Amazing how short there memory is when the job fails.
As soon as I saw that box of peel and stick tiles I would have said no think you.
Laying another layer of anything over a failing sub floor is just a really bad idea.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

You must be working for my elderly sister. She is so tight, at age 82, she still climbs over gates to prevent hinge wear.:biggrin2: But I cut her a little slack because of being a kid from the depression era.

Being the floor under the heaters isn't walked on, I do have an idea how to satisfy this woman's frugal ways.

 

[joecaption]

I used to have a customer that owned and managed hotels all over the world and he had a ton of money.
We worked for him on his personal homes for 5 years.
He was so used to being in charge he had to design and micro manage everything we did.
He would send me out to appraise a property he was interested in.
I'd spend the whole day there taking pictures and checking things out and come back and try and talk him out of buying it.
It was in a flood zone and FEMA had refused to even sell flood insuance any more because of all the claims.
Termite and powder post beetle damage, no insulation, horrible wiring, plumbing was a night mare.
He would buy it anyway.
He ended up having to raise the whole house for $110,000, all new wiring plumbing, new HVAC, $20,000 for insulation and framing repairs.

 

[mbrando1994]

I learned the hard way long ago when dealing with my class A personality customers it's better to say no once in a while when asked to do anything you know will never work.
It will come back to bite you sooner or latter.
I strive to have someone ask "who did that for you, looks nice", not "who did that to you".
Amazing how short there memory is when the job fails.
As soon as I saw that box of peel and stick tiles I would have said no think you.
Laying another layer of anything over a failing sub floor is just a really bad idea.

The peel and stick is a short term fix until she gets enough for a true tile floor. However like I said I never agreed to do the floor just looking for some help with it but from what I've heard here I don't think I am going to. I agreed to laying the linoleum for her but I am not touching the existing floor. She can have a carpenter or flooring person come out and do that and then I'll resume my work. Once again not my specialty.

 

[mbrando1994]

You must be working for my elderly sister. She is so tight, at age 82, she still climbs over gates to prevent hinge wear.:biggrin2: But I cut her a little slack because of being a kid from the depression era.

Being the floor under the heaters isn't walked on, I do have an idea how to satisfy this woman's frugal ways.

What would this be? I still need to do things to code sadly.

 

[mbrando1994]

I used to have a customer that owned and managed hotels all over the world and he had a ton of money.
We worked for him on his personal homes for 5 years.
He was so used to being in charge he had to design and micro manage everything we did.
He would send me out to appraise a property he was interested in.
I'd spend the whole day there taking pictures and checking things out and come back and try and talk him out of buying it.
It was in a flood zone and FEMA had refused to even sell flood insuance any more because of all the claims.
Termite and powder post beetle damage, no insulation, horrible wiring, plumbing was a night mare.
He would buy it anyway.
He ended up having to raise the whole house for $110,000, all new wiring plumbing, new HVAC, $20,000 for insulation and framing repairs.

Sounds like he just likes throwing his money around. My ideology is if you don't have the budget to complete a job or do it at least mid-grade quality, don't even touch it. Let it go until you do. Because this half a** nonsense is costing her so much more in the long run and she even knows it.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

I agreed to laying the linoleum for her but I am not touching the existing floor. She can have a carpenter or flooring person come out and do that and then I'll resume my work. Once again not my specialty.

You can scratch my idea being you aren't touching the existing floor.