*
I’ve cut, hammered, and pryed off my old thin and rotting subfloor for a bathroom remodel. Now I have a bunch of joists full of glue plus bits and pieces of the old subfloor. Any recommendations on cleaning up the joists?
My first thought was a belt sander. My second thought was that as soon as the belt hits the glue it’ll heat up and end up gumming up the sander.
Anyone have any experience with this?
thanks much,
…alan
Listeners write in about removing masonry chimneys and ask about blocked ridge vents, deal-breakers with fixer-uppers, and flashing ledgers that are spaced from the wall.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
*
If it's that bad, just cut off a slice of the joists and add back fresh wood....Get your thinking cap on!
near the stream,
aj
*How about one of those paint stripping power tools from (dewalt?). Rent it, if all of the bad comments apply for paint stripping.
*Alan,Do what aj sez.......or get out the chisel. If you have to cut the tops of the joist, you can sister another one up next to it. Hey.....we're talking bathroom here......can't be that many square feet. If it's that messed up, just cut out the old joist (there can't be more than maybe eight or so) and replace them. You're talking maybe a few hours work. Is this pier and beam first floor? Or second floor with a ceiling below?Ed. williams
*Alan,A sharp chisel will slice it right off.Jerry
*Yup, a chisel is all you need or a power planer. Don't bother with solvents, they may soften the stuff but you will have more of mess than you have now. A fine toothed saw will cut cleanly through as well but a chisel will tend to separate the glue from the wood at the joint.
*I've used a big mortising chisel maybe 3 inches wide and real sharp. Takes the glue off easily.
*Ed - It's 11'x11', so not too many joists. Yup, pier and beam 1st floor.I thought about just replacing the whole lot of them, but the work starts piling up. There's a set of piers and beam that runs 8' in. So i'd have to put in more footings and another beam (this is earthquake country, i'd think just sticking pre-cast piers under there is a no no). Then there's the plumbing that i wasn't going to move which will have to go. There's a few other odds and ends too. Though, in the end, it might be less than chiseling! :)Question about replacing the joists... Current joists are sitting on top of the sill, then comes the subfloor and exterior wall. So the joists are sandwiched between the exterior wall/subfloor and the sill. I can slice off the current joists at the bottom plate of the wall, which is where i cut off the subfloor. How do the new joists hang? Add additional blocking in between the sill and old subfloor and hang the joists with hangers on that? thanks, ...alan
*Alan,Having heard all that.......I'd get out the chisel and spend an afternoon. Save some big time bucks by not re-plumbing. A good 2" or 3" chisel layed flat on top of the joist with the bevel up should slice the stuff right off. You don't have to run the chisel straight with the joist, go at a bit of an angle so that the handle of the chisel is not on the joist. It will be a bit of work, but not that bad. Take off as much as you can and then rent a auto body grinder from the local rent-a-yard to take off the rest. Don't worry about a few gouges in the joist tops, a new bead of adhesive will fill those, and the new plywood subfloor will span most irregularities.Good luck,Ed. Williams
*try a drawknife like logbiulders use to debark a log.save the chisel for the places the drawknife wont go...
*Why not build yourself a jig you could clamp onto the joist and use a router. This will work fine unless you have a lot of nails. If you make the jig right and position it accurately the router bit will quickly shave everything off down to the top of the joists. Another way to do this is to use a heavy duty grinder with a very course disk.The disk may clog up over time but not as bad as a belt sander.
*What are your plans for the final finished floor?Ceramic Tile?? Will taking off the glue just to the top of the joists leave you enough space to put in a proper floor thickness and cement backer board so that the tile surface is level with the rest of the flooring in the house? Now is the time to shave and level those joists so your finished floor comes out right.Your original post date is 2 weeks ago. You're probably done by now. Hope everything is just as you wanted (and the wife is pleased, too). Got pictures??
*This is a DIY part-time project, so not lots of progress is made in two weeks. I'm in the process of extending the plumbing for the new shower and sinks. The local inspectors are being great about coming out and looking at a dry fit to make it easier to fix any out-of-code problems.As for the joists, here's what i'm gonna do...I'm going to sister up new joists about an inch below the current ones. Slice off the top of the current joists and rent/buy a power planer to even everything out. I don't have a digital camera, but I've been taking pictures along the one. As I develop and scan the pictures I'll send the group pointers. ...alan
*
I've cut, hammered, and pryed off my old thin and rotting subfloor for a bathroom remodel. Now I have a bunch of joists full of glue plus bits and pieces of the old subfloor. Any recommendations on cleaning up the joists?
My first thought was a belt sander. My second thought was that as soon as the belt hits the glue it'll heat up and end up gumming up the sander.
Anyone have any experience with this?
thanks much,
...alan