Tips Maintaining Your Property
'Ideas from your HOA board'

Your first consideration in a change in flooring should be strengthening the current floor.  KB Homes used I-joists instead of tradition 2 X 10 or 8 lumber on the Greenbriar Paired Homes.  This allowed for greater spacing between joists.  This means your subfloor is likely sitting on I-joists that are 24″ apart on center instead of traditional lumber that are commonly spaced 16″ apart.  Fewer joists and wider spacing often results in sagging and uneven subfloors that will be difficult to install many common types of flooring which require a rigid subfloor that is completely level.

Unlike regular lumber, engineered I-joists are difficult to reinforce by “blocking” by inserting short pieces of lumber between joists to reinforce the floor.

As our buildings age the floors become less level and in time the sub-floor made of OSB (Oriented Strand Board) may swell or sag from becoming wet over time.  We have seen a number of ceramic tile floors fail along with problems in heavy engineered wood floors as a result of the subfloor not providing the rigid sub-straight necessary for these types of flooring.

If you are considering replacing the carpet on your first floor or looking to install updated linoleum in your kitchen and baths we recommend the following;

Solid hardwood floors installed counter to the direction of the floor joists will reinforce and strengthen not just your floor but the overall structure of your home.  For areas of frequent moisture like entries, kitchens and baths we recommend either rolled linoleum or LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) which is impervious to water.  However, we also highly recommend removing older material underneath first (especially if you have ceramic tile) to reduce unnecessary dead weight on your subfloor. 

While solid wood floors are more expensive than engineered wood floors, they will add significant resale value to your home and last forever if properly maintained.  Some engineered wood floors can also contribute strength like solid hardwoods but once the top thin veneer layer is worn you will need to replace the entire room of flooring while solid wood floors can always be sanded completely or just in small sections to bring them back to their original luster.