Floor board 2mm difference in thickness

[Electric_Andy]

Hi all. We have 20mm thick solid floorboards on our landing which I'm replacing due to cracking and creaking. I can only find 18mm OSB to lay down. We're having 11mm underlay and carpet - do you think the 2mm step would be noticeable underneath?

The other option is to get 9mm and 11mm OSB and lay them on top of each other but of course this is more expensive.

Any thoughts welcome

 

[richardfm]

I think you'll notice the step, just replace all of the floor boards.

 

[PeteXXX]

2mm hardboard shim underneath ~ all over if a solid floor or just on the joists? 🤔

 

[Punkawallah]

Not at first, but possibly down the line. You might think about putting 2mm hardboard down on top to make up the difference?

 

[Electric_Andy]

Thanks everyone. I cannot find 2mm ply anywhere near me, plus it seems very expensive. I thought to use plastic packing shims but they are also £15 for a pack containing only a few 2mm ones! For the sake of £30 I might as well just stack 9mm osb on top of 11mm osb. I can't see any problems with strength or movement with that if I make sure I overlap all of the joins, and mark the joist positions on the wall so I know where to screw in?

 

[oxoman]

Basically use anything that equates to 2mm. Use 2pence pieces as packers, about the cheapest hack you'll find unless you have a piece of old wood you can shave a sliver off.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Ok, I've finally found what I'm looking for. Ordered a 100 pack of 2mm packers, arriving tomorrow. Only 7 quid and will be much easier than laying 2 lots of osb. I'll stick them down first so they remain in place when screwing through

 

[SpokeyDokey]

OT (a bit) but by christ our chipboard floors have become noisy since the extended heatwave(s).

A complete PITA to be truthful.

 

[si_c]

OT (a bit) but by christ our chipboard floors have become noisy since the extended heatwave(s).

A complete PITA to be truthful.

Chipboard isn't the best sub floor type to be honest, it's not dimensionally stable so it's probably warped hence the creaking. It's fixable but you'll need to pull the carpet up and replace the nails with screws.

We had a related problem with our floorboards - old house so they've been repeatedly pulled up and the T&G has all been cut. Ended up putting two boxes of 400 screws into the floor upstairs to sort it out.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Chipboard isn't the best sub floor type to be honest, it's not dimensionally stable so it's probably warped hence the creaking. It's fixable but you'll need to pull the carpet up and replace the nails with screws.

We had a related problem with our floorboards - old house so they've been repeatedly pulled up and the T&G has all been cut. Ended up putting two boxes of 400 screws into the floor upstairs to sort it out.

They are proper flooring boards - I just (mistakenly) think of them as chipboard. Can't seem to rectify my ongoing error either. Must try harder!

There is a 13' x 20' area of our lounge that we are going to have to fix. It will be a complete PITA moving some heavy furniture and getting someone to lift & refit the carpet.

 

[Buck]

With chipboard to prevent squeeks and creaks, youre best putting a bead of polyurethane wood glue on the joists and the joints. It expands to fill any voids and makes the floor a fully joined unit.

something like https://www.toolstation.com/5-minute-polyurethane-wood-glue/p93568

It’s more effort but well worth it and very similar to the building regs for new builds.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Thanks. Lots of the boards are broken, and all have gaps in-between which have been filled with foam off cuts. Many were nailed, lots of which had popped out so I've driven them down. The big section is tight now, so just need to replace a 1800x800 section with new osb. I'm not that concerned about longevity as we won't be here for ever, but the pva idea is a good shout thanks. We also ordered the thickest underlay they had (11mm) which should also help.

 

[oxoman]

For chipboard it creaks like hell. To fix it properly it should be glued and screwed. When i first noticed it being used on site they just used a narrow felt strip on top of the beams then nailed it down, now according to young oxo they glue and either nail with serrated nails or use screws.

 

[Electric_Andy]

For chipboard it creaks like hell. To fix it properly it should be glued and screwed. When i first noticed it being used on site they just used a narrow felt strip on top of the beams then nailed it down, now according to young oxo they glue and either nail with serrated nails or use screws.

Do you mean chipboard or OSB? Chipboard yes it's not very good long-term and goes to sawdust if damp for years. Osb is different; much more hardy and IME doesn't creak and break as much

 

[oxoman]

TBH i meant chipboard, haven't seen OSB used on a site other than for flat roofs. Some decent builders will put a service track in with screwed down plywood board to denote what it is. Luckily I haven't done site work for a living for a long time, young oxo does though plus I do visit the odd site occasionally.