uneven floor in kitchen

[Dumdidums]

Hello when i bought my flat i knew that the kitchen floor was not level however i went ahead and put vinyl over it. This was over 5 years ago and i have now decided i want to fix the situation. I have attached pictures of what is under the vinyl. It is a 2nd floor flat with a property under the kitchen, they have never complained about their ceiling falling down etc.

a) what is wrong
b) How can it be fixed
c) what sort of tradesperson should i be contacting to do this eg builder, carpenter, floorfitter

Can't really see from your pics. Looks like old tiles screwed onto board? Not removed properly or some crumbling?
I'd guess a builder as you'll have to level the floor again to put a new flooring on top. As it's a 2nd floor kitchen it might be good to see what the joists are like too?

That looks like rot and mould to me. Is something leaking nearby?

Looks like thin plywood board that hasn't been done very well. I suspect (had this in rentals we have) that they have been put down due to floorboards being uneven below so levels it out to some degree. They are rotten and poorly laid.

You need to take the board up and see what the situation is underneath with the floorboards etc. If they are uneven, get a joiner to come and rectify them. It might be that you need to reboard over them.

If they are floorboards you can't use self levelling compound. You can only use over a solid floor.

hmm about how much should builders be charging for this :(
It currently isnt damp but maybe before i moved in there was a problem, there has been no flooding since i have been here. I have emailed about 4 but had no reply ,

@chrissys45

If there are floorboards underneath she needs to maintain access. Pouring self levelling over it will seal it

sorry im confused, should i put this plyboard on top to make it level ? i've never used plyboard , is it glued down or staple or nails ? the level of sink varies throughout the room so 9mm is enough for some areas but others i think have a deeper level of sink and aome less less . How do i deal with this ? Is 9mm string enough for people to stand on without it breaking ?
I've emailed 10 builders now and no response yet so i may try to do this myself

FFS not self levelling compound.

The floor is made of chipboard. It has become wet.

Chipboard is a poor (but cheap) material and it degrades and loses strength when wet. It is therefore particularly unsuitable to a room that contains water, such as a kitchen or bathroom. It is a material which is much more suitable for use on a bonfire or in a skip.

The old chipboard needs to be pulled up

The plumbing leaks need to be repaired

The joists need to be examined for damage or rot. With luck they can be dried out and treated with wood preserver. If they are damaged by rot or woodworm they may need to be replaced. This is not very common.

A new floor needs to be laid, I recommend 22mm ply. All short edges must be supported on struts (noggins) or they will dip.

A carpenter can do this work (apart from the leaks, which needs a plumber).

Try to find one by personal recommendation from someone you know and trust, or from an advert in the parish magazine.

A listing on a paid-for internet advertising site is not a good source, especially if it masquerades as a recommended site for rated and checked tradesmen.

Thank you, unfortunately i dont know any local carpenters , theres also the issue that i dont want the kitchen uints to be removed. I'm unfortunately going to have to invite people from these websites and hope i get one that knows what he is doing

do you know anybody that's had building work done? They may have a recommendation. A good plumber will know a good electrician, plasterer, carpenter because they meet local people. They tend to be chummy with people who are equally good, so a good person will know good people (and a bad person....).

Carpenters are used to removing and fitting kitchen units. It is much quicker and easier than you think. A better bet than a general builder.

If the floor under them has been wet, you need, at the very least, to slide something under the feet or they may sink through the floor.

The old chipboard floor can be cut and lifted away in sections. It is not fit to be repaired. The new ply will probably come in sheets of the same size, though can be cut to fit.

Call the builders rather than email. If they're anything like my builder dad, technology isn't their forte but genius next level house renovations are. It's weird! Where do you live OP? Have you tried check a trade or asked on a local Fb group for recommendations?

@PigletJohn removing all the units sounds like a big job but i guess you are right in that if someone is experienced at doing this then they should be able to do it quickly and efficiently. My thinking was just to deal with the floor that isnt under the wardrobe units and the floor that is under the washing machine and fridge freezer . If i were to do this myself then i wouldnt be able to remove all my cupboard units etc

I have been using check a trade and im very disappointed that noone has replied. They cant all be IT illiterate can they ?? I did get one reply from someone who was meant to come look at 6pm yesterday but then he said he was running late so would come at 6pm today. 6pm has now come and gone and not a word from him so im not very confident about calling him to rearrange for a 3rd time. Similarly i am not sure about chasing up people who wont reply to emails. It just gives the feeling that they arent interested.

When i bought the flat i had a lot of work done before i moved in but have had nothing done since then (5 years). Im now kicking myself for not getting the floor done . Its not been an issue but i feel it is something i should look at
Interestingly the freeholder would probably know builders but i wonder if this would open a can of worms. Facebook is probably a good idea our street set up a facebook group for covid support , i am tempted to ask their but this maybe distasteful

Nope.

They are just rectangular chipboard boxes standing on the floor. Some of them may be screwed to the wall to prevent them wobbling. The worktop might be more awkward as it may be sealed or tiled against the wall.

If they're moved aside, then, afterwards put back, it's not very hard.

If necessary, you can buy slabs of new worktop at modest price. Stone worktops are harder as they are glued down and incredibly heavy. I had a carpenter remove an entire working kitchen and load it into a van in about 6 hours.

Checkatrade and the like are never sensible to use in my opinion. You will generally find the tradespeople on there usually have no qualifications and experience or have changed company name many times previously due to poor work. Tradespeople have to pay to be on these sites and then bid for individual jobs. Nothing is checked by the websites, so you normally have no recourse to getting anything remedied either.
In regards to people not replying to your emails, it is generally best that you give a contact number for them to reply to. The reason many don't reply via email is due to time. For example, I will be out at work on two or three jobs some days, I then come back and have bills to send, work for the next day to prep for, quotes to do, dinner to cook, washing cleaning etc etc. So a number to ring whilst I'm on my way to jobs is a whole lot easier than having a 7 or 8 minimum back and forth email chain, trying to fix a date that is suitable for both.
Do you not get your boiler serviced yearly? Have friends who use tradespeople? Those should always be your first port of call for recommendations.

I feel i should update you, ive now had about 7-8 builders come round to take a look. I found them on checkatrade, a facebook group that was set up to provide local support during the pandemic and via google. I did message the person who came to do the annual gas boiler check who said he would mention the job to a builder friend of his however this has led to nothing.
This is an improvement and i feel that i was pleasant and polite to all the people who came. What has annoyed me is that i have only had one quote back for the work from a guy who lives nowhere near here and didnt seem all that keen to do it. Whats the point of all these people coming if they arent going to be bothered to quote ? Why is it that so many of them are not interested in quoting ? I was thinking that the whole covid situation may have something to do with it . Are they just too busy ? Are people just happy to sit in furlough until they are forced to do work ? Its good that people have come over but this is progressing much more slowly than i expected and im surprised so many people are not interested