Replacing sub floor?

After ripping up the particle board we discovered that some of the joists beneath the floor were sitting on old bricks just stacked ontop of each other (loose)... or maybe the bricks were packed under the joists,either way, joists /floor/brick piles are not level... some of the joists aren't too flash , in short we want to redo the whole floor.

A friend suggested treated pine sleepers to replace the bricks (stumps?) that support the joists (cut to appropriate size)... just wondering if this is a good idea or perhaps some other alternatives.

Another alternative suggestion was to put concrete in but we've had problems with damp in other rooms so not keen on idea.



Think this room might be carpeted when all is done, but still open to ideas (not huge fan of carpet but budget is tight and have plenty of flooring particle board.)

???Lash

Concrete stumps would be better option. They are reasonably cheap even from Bunnings! You will have to ensure your bearers and joists are in good nick, otherwise your new floor will feel like a sponge when you walk over it.

from my reading ( and listening )

bearers sit on stumps.
joists sit on bearers.

are your brick piles under the joists or under the bearers?

my understanding ( and I know there will be a stampede to correct me if I'm wrong :D ) is

restumping just one room may show up problems in other rooms ( i.e. you now have a nice level floor in one room to compare against ).

it is easier to restump and get the floor level if there is an existing chimney in the house as the restumper will take the floor level off of this as a fixed point.

when they restump they suspend the new stumps off of the bearers by threaded rods with some slack in the thread above the bearer. The stumps dangle down - no concrete around them and THEN they put the concrete in the holes. The desired levels being established with string lines which have been established with water levels ( or more modern alternatives) from the reference point on the chimney.

The aim is for the stump to be marginally below the string line ( if stump is too high when concrete sets you are stuffed ). They then pack the stumps with whatever is available - you can get proper packers designed for the job ( looks like a big square with a small square hole cut out of one side ) or use fibro sheet or whatever comes to hand with a cutout. the screw thread is then adjusted appropriately to get everything tight.

It doesn't sound like rocket science but like most things in life its probably more difficult than it sounds :)

Don't get to excited about the loose bricks, depending on the age of the house and the builder they might be sitting on concrete or mortar pads, or even a stone pad and possibly even a thin patch of sand as a leveller then laid on top. Forget about treated pine you are better off either rebuilding the piers if they are loose on a solid base or putting in concrete stumps, whatever takes your fancy. Put in the ant caps and level off properly, get a restumper to have a look and quote if in doubt, if your intention is to rip up the floor then access will be easy and the job relatively cheap. In any case the concrete will probably be cheaper than the jerry built alternative your mate suggested.

If moisture is a problem then treated pine will be great ...for maybe 5 or even 10 minutes. Go the concrete.

Cheers

Thanks for your helpful replies, we've removed the joists, bearers, and loose bricks. ( jackiew, the joists were on the bearers which were on the brick piles ) :o )
Been busing living n haven't got round to doing much more as yet. Think we'll go the concrete piers, but will weigh up costs n capabiilities, vs brick piers. Done brickwork before... a little bit.
These concrete stumps from Bunni's, they're ready made?
:confused:
Ta,
Lash

Lash you were lucky. In the extention on my house put on in 1890 the floor joists were put on the ground soil pilled up either side so they would fall over and the floor boards put on top. We hand dug 3 m3 of out the window to get ventilation and bearers and stumps in.

Concrete stumps come pre-cast, and are about 100mm x 100mm square, and come in lengths of 100mm increments. Are available at all hardware places around my way, look for one that do a lot of building supplies.

There are also two types, ones designed for restumping, and ones designed for new installations.

The restumping stumps have a loop of wire cast into the side of one of the stumps, with the loop potruding above the top of the stump. The idea is that you sit the stump under the bearer, with the wire loop sitting against the bearer. The you hammer a nail through the wire loop into the bearer, then bend over about the last inch of the nail to secure the loop to the bearer.

The new installation stumps have a piece of reo rod cast into the centre of the stump. The idea is that you set the stump in the ground, then drill a hole in the middle of your bearer and slip this over the reo coming out of the stump. Then bend over the rest of the exposed reo to secure the bearer to the stump.

Grinner

There are also concrete stumps with threaded rod down the middle these can be very handy.