Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Aug 24, 2010 12:12 am I am getting into a dispute with the developer of the ground-floor off-the-plan unit that I bought since last year in Sydney. I asked them not to lay the carpet in the living area so that , once the settlement of unit is complete, I will install the floating timber floor using my own contractors. (I asked the developer when I paid the deposit if they could lay the timber for me, and the answer was no!). I went in for the pre-settlement inspection last week with my floor installer. He said that the tolerances of concrete slabs in the living area do not comply with the building standards and he cannot lay the timber without concrete slabs being rectified first. He used the optical survey instruments to check the flatness of the slabs. Basically, the concrete slabs are not flat and there are undulations (that over the limit said in the standards). I went and talked to the developer and the answer I got was: We only laid the concrete slab in the condition that is good enough to lay the carpet on. Any extra work to get the slab ready for the timber flooring will be my responsibility. My understanding was that if the condition of the concrete slabs is good enough for the carpet then it should be good enough for the timber? But it appears not to be the case according to the developer. Does anyone here know what the building standards actually say in term of quality/telorances of the concrete slabs used for carpet and timber? Many Thanks in advance, Nimrod. Re: Tolerances of concrete slabs for carpet and floating tim 2Aug 24, 2010 12:25 am Hi nimrod, The standards and tolerances guide states any room shall be within 10mm from level in any room or 4mm in any 2m length. I believe the entire slab must be within 20mm. Go and measure the room and get them to fix it if its out of tolerance. The standards and tolerances guide 2007 can be downloaded off the net. Hope that helps Re: Tolerances of concrete slabs for carpet and floating tim 3Aug 24, 2010 12:30 am Thanks Bicko. Would that tolerance standards be applied to both carpet & timber or do I need to do some extra work on the slabs for timber flooring as it's required more stringent tolerances? Thanks! Re: Tolerances of concrete slabs for carpet and floating tim 4Aug 24, 2010 8:07 am That's the only standard which applies to finished slabs. This standard does not address the actual further floor covering which will be installed onto this subfloor. You have to look at individual standards for laying timber flooring (and what type of timber flooring & installation method - some types/methods require more level subfloor than others). Typically (but from memory only), it's about up to 3mm in any 2m length - again, some floors would be better off with even stricter tolerance. I never checked, but I suspect there are guidelines for levelness of the subfloor for laying carpet too. Your floor installer already checked for this - what are the deviations in your case and how much would he charge you to fix that? From what I've heard, the floor installer should do a better job in levelling the slab (and specifically as a prep for the floor) than a builder would do. Plus, you then know (or should know) exactly which product is used for levelling and if that product is compatible to use with any glues etc. (if you need glues). My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Tolerances of concrete slabs for carpet and floating tim 5Aug 25, 2010 2:57 am Thanks Lex. The deviations are quite varied in the area of 26sqm2 but it's up to 30mm. The floor installer insists on getting me to get the builder to fix the slabs (before settlement!). He said it's going to cost me thousands of dollars if he was to do it. I was trying to attach the drawing from the floor installer (show deviations) but the board quota seems to have been reached. The builder said today that they will look into the slab and will get it fixed up to the standards (for the carpet at least). So, I will only know how much they fix it (and how much extra work is required) when I get in to the unit to do another inspection. Cheers, Nim/Z Re: Tolerances of concrete slabs for carpet and floating tim 6Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am OK, 30 mm puts things into perspective, it's quite a bit and your installer seems to be right in insisting that you should not be the one to pay for the fix. As already said, download the Standards and Tolerances Guide 2007 and look this up for your own benefit, it's pretty clear. But the builder said they will fix it, so keep an eye on them and the way they fix it. If you can, also photograph the stuff they use for fixing. Better still, ask SS in writing what material and what method is he using to fix the level - might be useful to know later on. Or, call your installer and ask him what he thinks should be used. BTW, the board quota is a very misleading message and is pointing you in the wrong direction (it's not the so-called "board quota"!! ). Basically, you need to find that thread about uploading pictures (I can never find it!!!) and have a go after reading that. My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... my suspicion - some builders, they do usually make 'odd' settings in their site plan / pricing as their standards - being hopeful that first - the initial price is… 9 2507 Thanks Simon, I guess I'm no concerned with the volume of the noise rather that dead and hollow sound and feel that is associated with floating floors. But I'm not sure… 3 6163 Thanks, that's the motivation I needed to give it a try sooner rather than one day! 4 3013 |