Panel Placer
An unexpected garden tool makes it easier to lower subflooring.
Using construction adhesive under tongue-and-groove subfloor has become standard practice in our region. We lay beads of adhesive on the joists and then try to lower each sheet gently. The challenge: In order to control the sheet placement, someone has to stand on the open joists, or we have to lay a plank or extra sheet in front of the one we are placing. In either case, production is slowed down either from dancing on the joists or shuffling around a temporary walking surface.
When my brother Bruce recently asked me if I had a garden hoe, I was puzzled. He said he had an idea—use the hoe to lower the subfloor sheathing while standing on the sheets we’d already installed. It worked like a charm, giving us complete control of the sheet placement. Other framing crews may laugh, but we’re glad to have this garden tool in our framing kit.
— Mike Guertin; East Greenwich, R.I. Edited by Charles Miller.
From Fine Homebuilding #296
RELATED STORIES
- Installing Floor Joists and Laying Subfloor
- Don’t Compromise Luxury Finishes with Sub-par Subfloors
- Flooring Over Plank Subfloor
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