Question about a 1970s parquet floor that took 3 days to level
I had a job last month where the homeowner insisted on keeping the original parquet, but the subfloor was so uneven (we're talking a full inch dip in the center) that my usual self-leveler approach failed and I ended up having to sister-joist and plane the high spots, which took three days instead of the planned half-day, so what's the longest a 'simple' prep job has ever taken you guys?
The worst part of those old dips is the dust. I spent a full day on a 1920s house just vacuuming out the joist bays before I could even think about sistering. Decades of plaster, mouse nests, and what I'm pretty sure was coal dust. The air turned black with the first pass of the planer.
Ugh, that sounds brutal. Had a place last year with a slope so bad we had to build up the whole perimeter with sleepers, felt like we were framing a new floor. Took a whole week.