Replacing an Old Creaky Subfloor With new Plywood Floor Help, advice, information, answers and tips on all types of flooring from laminate and carpet to timber and vinyl

[andyx2]

Hi there

I’m fairly new to this, but I’m trying to replace all of the old squeeky/creaky floor planks in my bedroom with new 22mm structural plywood.

The problem that I’ve come across is that after taking off the skirting board, I’ve found that the some of the internal walls sit on top of a piece of timber, which sits on top of the floor boards, which then sits on top of the joists.

What I want to know is that if these walls are actually supported by this lame bit of timber at the bottom, or if this is just a batten for the skirting board. In other words if I remove this bit of timber to be able to lift the floorboards, is the wall going to fall on my head? :)

I’ve added some pictures to get a better idea.

Thanks a lot !

Andy

[thedoctor]

Hi

It sure looks like the floor is supporting the wall so it would not be sensible to pull anything out from under the wall.

You should cut the new floor round the wall support but it could be that the weight of the wall is causing the floor to sag a bit and that could be the reason its creaking so putting a new floor down might not make any difference.

It's hard to be certain without seeing it first hand, but it sure looks that way sadly

In terms of a remedy, you only really have a few options, leave as is and as said, cut the flooring around the wall or remove the section of wall and construct a stud wall in it's place.

If you are considering this, it would be a good idea to get a structural engineer to have a look at it first to make sure that it is not supporting anyting above it

If cutting new boards around it, leave a 5mm or so gap between the new boards and the timber at the base of the wall to prevent this rubbing and creaking also.

Kind Regards