| |
|
How to Repair Plywood Subfloor
Repairing Plywood Subfloor is Easy to Do
and Requires Just a Few Basic Tools
Mark J. Donovan
|
|
An OSB or plywood subfloor can
quickly become damaged if it becomes exposed to water. Water can easily cause a
plywood subfloor to rot, warp or become punky. In addition, a damaged plywood
subfloor can begin to squeak and buckle the finished flooring. Fortunately the
effort and tools required to repair plywood subfloors is easy to do, albeit you
will first need to lift up the finished flooring material.
|
Tools Required for
Plywood Subfloor Repair
To repair a plywood subfloor you will
need a skill saw, chalk/pencil, square, tape measure, safety glasses, pry bar,
hammer, screw gun, caulking gun, and a ¾” drill bit.
Removing Damaged
Plywood Subfloor Areas
First lift up the finished flooring
material and locate the damaged OSB or plywood subfloor areas. Make a large X
over them with a piece of chalk or pencil.
|
Photo By Mark Donovan |
|
|
Next, determine where the floor
joists are and use your chalk or pencil and the square to mark out square
sections that encompass the damaged plywood subfloor areas. Make sure your
marks that are parallel to floor joists line up directly over the centerline
of floor joists.
Use the pry bar and hammer to remove nails in the damaged plywood subfloor
areas.
Next, use a screw gun with a ¾” bit to drill a test hole into the subfloor,
over one of the damaged areas, to determine the thickness of the subfloor.
|
After determining the thickness of
the subfloor set the skill saw blade height to the measured thickness.
Use your circular skill saw to cut out the damaged plywood subfloor pieces as
marked.
Replacing Damaged
Plywood Subfloor Areas
To complete the OSB or plywood
subfloor repair, visit your local home improvement center and pick up the
necessary sheets of 4’x8’ pieces of plywood or OSB. In addition, pick up some
1-1/2” or 1-5/8” coarse threaded drywall screws and an adhesive such as Liquid
Nails.
|
Find a Qualified Hardwood Flooring Contractor in Your Area |
|
Get Free Quotes. Easy, Quick and No
Obligations!
For the home improvement or home remodeling project that is
too big for you, check out our partner
NeedContractor. They are a national
resource for finding pre-screened, insured, and licensed home improvement and remodeling contractors in your local area.
|
|
|
Get Matched in 48 hours with Hardwood Flooring Contractors! |
Cut the new OSB or plywood sheets to
the appropriate dimensions of the wholes you cut out in the subfloor.
Apply a thick bead of adhesive over each exposed floor joist and then lay the
cut pieces of new plywood subfloor material over the cut out openings.
Use the drywall screws and a screw gun to secure the new plywood pieces to the
repaired subfloor. Make sure the drywall screws screw into the floor joists for
proper fastening.
After completing the plywood subfloor repair you can then reinstall the finished
floor material.
For more help on new home construction,
see HomeAdditionPlus.com’s
Home Construction Contractor Bid Sheets.
Home
Construction Contractor Bid Sheets
will
help ensure that you find and hire the right home building contractor
for your next home improvement, remodeling, or building project. In
addition, they will help to ensure that your home improvement project is
completed on time and on budget.
Related Flooring Information
Tools for Repairing Plywood Subfloors from Amazon.com
|
|
|
