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remodeling kitchen issue

slowthumbs

Shared on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 08:06

so. i'm remodeling my kitchen. I've taken all the old cabinets out, removed a couple small walls. rewired almost all of the electrical and moved the plumbing from the center of the room to the side - all to make the kitchen bigger and more usable.

btw - i used a professional plumber and electrician to do the tough stuff. There is not a chance that I would have been able to do what they did. Got to watch and learn though!

 

So, my big issue right now though is that the wall i removed from the center of the kitchen left a 4 inch wide gap between the subflooring which is some kind of concrete over 3/4 inch plywood. I've never seen this kind of thing before, but then again this is the first time i've ripped up a tile in a kitchen in a 2nd floor condo.

 

Any suggestions on how to fill in the gap? I'm assuming some type of concrete to ensure it is smooth and a tight fit. Cutting cement board to fill the gap won't do it (i tried and it is not a precise enough fit).

Anyone done this type of thing before?

I'm all ears if anyone has suggestions.

 

pic of gap in floor - you can see that my attempt at using a cut piece of cement board has ended badly (very badly i might add)

gap in floor

 

 

Comments

Automan21k's picture
Submitted by Automan21k on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 08:51
looks like you might want a light mortar to fill it, concrete would give you trouble since you'd have to deal with the small stones in it. Mix it a little thin and put it over just a bit higher than the concrete around it and use a wet sponge to smoth it out as it dries (but don't wait until it is completely dry. when it looks flush and dries, put a concrete sealant over it to help keep it from chipping. That is really pretty weird looking, I've done a few renovations and never saw anything like that on those.
slowthumbs's picture
Submitted by slowthumbs on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 09:49
the hole is where the counter used to jut out into the middle of the kitchen. it took it all out so that all the cabinets are up against the walls leaving a LOT more space to work and cook. The previous design looked good, but was useless if you actually wanted to use the kitchen for cooking. I think I'm going to use Quikrete. it doesn't have the little rocks in it and it should smooth out pretty well.
slowthumbs's picture
Submitted by slowthumbs on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 09:50
and yes. i like to cook.
TKBosss's picture
Submitted by TKBosss on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 11:08
Generally this setup is common in multi-family housing. Plywood base, with a gypcrete. It's a light weight concrete that is easy to float our and make sure your floor is level. Since you are in a 2nd floor condo, don't forget to install a sound under lay before installing your flooring, or your downstairs neighbor will be calling the association about noise just from people walking around.
SPARKSFLY2000's picture
Submitted by SPARKSFLY2000 on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 11:29
what are you putting on top of it - i am no expert but if there was tile on the floor, they would have had to build up a base if there is potential for the floor underneath to move (i.e. crack tiles, joints, etc.). Just did my bathroom and had to built up with plywood, then concrete board, then mortar then tile. I would guess screw down some plywood and fill with thinset mortar - i know there is stuff to level floors that you may be able to fill and level with, but dont know what that is.
slowthumbs's picture
Submitted by slowthumbs on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 15:00
Gypcrete. will have to look that one up. That is exactly what it looks like. My kitchen is over my garage, so no worries about sound. All of that already exists, I just need to fill in this one small section. this stuff is pretty solid and is on top of 3/4" plywood, so there really isn't any worries of the floor shifting and causing cracks.

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