I am looking to lift the floorboards in a living room to install underfloor insulation on the suspended floor. However, the lath and plaster walls are attached to a studwork structure that sits on top of the floorboards. This stud wall is offset from the brick and stone load-bearing walls and held with metal wall ties. Can I lift the floorboards safely and trust the wall ties to hold the stud work (and plaster) in place or will this risk it becoming unstable? I will be replacing some damaged plaster panels but on the whole, I want to keep the walls intact if at all possible.
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Some of the wood paneling has been removed. The plaster walls in the background are lath and plaster on studs.
Hi winstanley, You may find it impossible to remove the floorboards with the stud wall floor plate in place. You could cut 50mm off the bottom of the vertical studs which may give you enough clearance to lift the floor plate. Regards S
Your advice is much appreciated. That sounds like the best solution for removing the floorboards in the first place, as they are probably nailed to the floorboards.
Now, how would I secure the bottom plate of the stud work to the reinstated floorboards? At that moment it´d be 'floating' as it were, held only by wall ties or brackets that attach it to the brick and stone wall. What kind of underpinning would be adequate if at all needed?
Hi winstanley, Once the floorboards are in place just screw the floor plate into them, you will then have to use packers to support the vertical studs. Regards S
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