Starting Work On “The Outhouse”

On Saturday morning work began on the “big house”, which my 18 year-old son calls “the outhouse”, due to the stench of dog urine.  I have been told the former owner kept as many as 30 dogs in the house as if it were a kennel.  The amount of urine apparent on the subfloors after we got the carpets out is absolutely astounding.  There were two places where the quantity of urine was concentrated to the extent that the OSB subfloor was actually delaminating.  The urine had swelled the wood and dissolved the adhesives.  These pieces of subfloor had to be removed and replaced. 

I forgot to get photos as my son and I were doing the work, so I went back over this evening to take some shots, but my camera battery died.  I’ll post some pictures tomorrow evening.

Anyway, I was very pleased with what I found out about how the house was built as I ripped up subfloor, but I found myself wishing it hadn’t been done quite so well.  The 23/32 OSB was glued, screwed on the edges, and nailed with 10 penny coated nails on the joists.  No squeaks in this floor!  We had a very tough time ripping up the subfloor.  We removed and replaced one 4X8 sheet complete and three smaller partial sheets.  Here’s how we did the job:

First, we identified the specific portions of subfloor that we felt were the worst damaged and could not be mitigated by sealing with Kilz primer.  If the subfloor was the least bit soft or mushy, or felt less than solid in any way, it was marked for removal.  We determined where the floor joists were and marked our cuts with a chalk line.  We tried to use the factory edges as much as possible, to incorporate the tongue-and-groove (T&G) in the repairs.  Anywhere we did not have a T&G edge, I made sure the cut landed on a floor joist or I supported from beneath with a 2X4 scabbed to the joist (such as where a cut was next to a wall and I could not make the cut on a joist).

Next, we used a cordless Makita impact drill and a square-tip bit to remove as many screws as we could along the edges of the subfloor panel to be removed.  We used a “cat-claw” tool and a hammer to remove as many nails as we could find.  Then I cut the large panels into smaller, more manageable portions by setting my Skilsaw circular saw to a depth just a hair deeper than the subfloor. I ran a cut the length of the 4X8 panel and began prying in the middle, so as to avoid damaging adjacent subfloor and to be able to pull the panel out in sections, preserving the T&G edges of the adjacent panels.  We used “flatbar” prybars, such as those available at Home Depot and Lowes and any reputable construction supply for about $7-8, and a small crowbar.  This was when I was wishing the builders hadn’t been quite so conscientious.  The subfloors came up in pieces because the glue was stronger than the OSB.  That was a very tough job.  If you ever decide you have to remove any subfloor, make sure there is no other way to mitigate the problem first.  It is a tough job!

Next, I had my son go over the open floor joists with a 1 1/2″ wood chisel to remove the glue and remaining wood chips to provide a fair surface for the new subfloor panels.  He made sure not to cut into the joist, while removing all glue and wood chips from the top edge.  Any lump or chip left on top of the joist could create a squeak or hump later.  While he did that, I started removing screws and nails from the next target.

The next place was on the landing at the top of the stairs on the second floor.  I had to remove about 7 feet of stair rail to facilitate the subfloor removal.  That was a simple matter of popping wood plugs out of their holes with a wood chisel, then using my impact drill to remove the screws holding the bottom of the rail in place on the floor.  I then removed the screw holding the top rail to the corner post where two rails meet at right angles, and the whole section was free without even the need to disassemble it.  I followed the same procedure as above for the removal.

Once the joists were clean, I removed the bottom side of the groove edge on the replacement panel with a chisel, creating a rabbeted edge from the groove edge.  It would probably have been easier to set the circular saw shallow and just cut it off.  We then laid a healthy bead of Liquid Nails construction adhesive on the top of the joists and prepared to lay in the replacement 4X8 panel.  We lifted the panel into place with the tongue side against the groove side of the adjacent panel.  As we laid the panel into place, we shoved the tongue up tight into the groove.  Now, when the panel was laid into place, since I cut off the bottom of the goove side of the replacement panel, it laid into place on the tongue of the other adjacent panel as a rabbeted joint instead of a tongue and groove.  There is no other way to do it.  Don’t try to bend the OSB in the middle and slide both sides into place.  It’s just not worth the trouble.  The panel fit perfectly into place.  Thank heavens for manufacturers who standardize things.  We screwed the panel down with 2 1/4″ deck screws at 8″ intervals with a Senco DuraSpin screw gun.

The rest of the panels I just cut to fit, using the T&G edges whenever possible to keep things locked in tight.

After one day, the stench in the house was greatly reduced.  We replaced just over 2 sheets worth of subfloor.  We think the rest will be fine once it is sealed up with several coats of Kilz polyeurethane primer.  If not, there are about 3 more sheets worth I will pull up and replace and try again.

My wife and I enjoyed walking through the house this evening deciding on alterations we will make to the house.  For the most part it will remain structurally the way it is.  We plan to add wood french doors to convert the tiny living room into a study; replace two glass-sliding doors with french doors; remodel the kitchen to add custom cabinetry, new appliances, an island or peninsula-style breakfast bar, granite counter tops, and a computer center; and wood flooring throughout the main floor and common areas upstairs.  Later, we plan to remodel the master bath, converting it from construction-grade to luxury (while not out-doing the local market), improve the decks and landscaping, and build a home theater in the basement.  Stay tuned for more fun.

By the way, we’re also in the market for a good riding mower for the great 3.5 acre yard!