RE: Floorboards

[Robert Chasmer <robert.chasmer@xxxxxxx>]

Graham wrote:
> From: Graham Butler [mailto:graham@xxxxxxx]
> Anyone got any tips on how to get these up in one piece?

> They tend to be nailed to at least 3 or more joists, ie one in the
> middle as well as the ends, and it's proving rather a pain getting
> them up. There was a half-sized board not nailed, for access to
> some existing cabling, which has provided me with a starting point,
> but it's still a real pain.

The main thing you need to do, is get the nails out before you start
trying to lift the boards.  I tend to cut the top of the nails away
with an Angle grinder.  Though other people seem to have suggested
other possiblly better ways of doing this.

Next up is to cut the boards into managable sections, possibly cutting away
any at the tongue-n-groove if your boards have this.  I use a circular saw
set to the correct depth so as to avoid any other cable/pipe I'm not awair
of.

I posted a rough guide last year which I've included.  I would have
posted a link to the article but I've forgotton where the HA archive
is at the mo.


Rob
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------------------------------------------------------------------

[warning long message]

Well most of the structured cabling I've laid has revolved around a
mixture of lifting floor boards in key locations, and in one case,
cutting serious channels in the walls in the lounge to install conduit
to run cable from the ceiling/floor upstairs, to sockets in the wall.
I was installing halogen lighting at the time, so I had little choice
but to get the floor up upstairs.

To start with you'll probably not know which way the beams go.  I
wanted to cut the floor neatly so that I could be screwed back down
with enough of the floor resting completly on the beams.  This is
quite a bit of work at first but pays of, and saves you needing to
replace the boards.

x J x        J        x J x
_____________________
:        :   :        :
:        :   :        :
:        :   :        :
: cut-out floor board :
:        :   :        :
:        :   :        :
_:________:___:________:_

x J x        J        x J x

* To investigate I started off by destroying a small bit of flooring
with the help of a drill and jigsaw.  This is NOT the way to do
things as you'll be worring about mains and piping under the floor.
However at the end of this I knew roughly the dimentions of the
beams etc.

* Next I used a small drill and to locate where the joists start
and end (X's on the ascii art above).
* Mark up the floor so that you cut in the middle of the joists
as shown by the diagram
* Then using a ciruclar saw, adjusted to just the right depth for
the flooring set about cutting the wood.
* Next problem is the nails used to hold the floor down.  With the
help of a grinder cut the heads of the nails.  The floor will come
up with a bit of leverage fairly easily.

I had to repeat this in a long line as the beams were running across
the direction I wanted to run some of the cables.  I had to lift a
section of flooring up in a neat line so that I could drill holes
in the beams, to run the cables.  For others I could just poke them
with bendy conduit along the beams from room to room.

I did worry about cutting holes but there very small in comparison
to the size of the beams.  Also holes were already evident from the
install of the heating and electrics.

To replace the floor, screw the boards down, with lots of screws.
They won't squeek or creak anymore (mine did before any of the work)
You'll also be able to get the floor back up if you need to.  I also
cut the carpet gripper rods so that they don't need to be touched
again.


> Also, it looks like they probably run under the walls too.
> Anyone got any solutions or solved similar problems?

I decided to leave the floor under the wall alone.  I cut the floor
in a doorway instead, using the approach above, this allowed me to
drill some more holes.  I found that three beams are all together
inbetween one of my walls.

End result, retro fitting cables in my floor isn't to-hard any more.
It was a LOT of work to begin with though.  I think it paid of.
I just clear some of the room, lift some carpet, unscrew the floor
and lift the boards.

--
______   __   _   ______   ______
/ ___   / /  /  / __    / _____ HOME: chas@xxxxxxx
/ /  /_/ / /__/ / / /__/ / / /__    http://www.kaosuk.co.uk/
/ /  __  / ___  / / ___  /  \__  \            ----
/ /__/ / / /  / / / /  / / _____/ / Rob Chasmer, MMT Computing
______/ _/  /_/ _/  /_/ ______/ robert.chasmer@xxxxxxx

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