sleepers in gypcrete

Unknown

would you put sleepers in gypcrete?, is this so you can nail- down your hardwood? <BR><BR>Dave

Paul P

sleepers in gypcrete

Doing radiant imbedded in gypcrete. what do I use for sleepers and how close do I put them. My tubing will be 9" on center, I was thinking 2x3 in between tubing will this work for hard wood floors.

Paul P

yes the system was designed with hardwood floors in mind.

Unknown

Then

why not put your sleepers down and use the dispersion plates? I don`t think you`ll get much "thermal mass" from gypcrete if you embed sleepers within. In other words, make it a "dry system".

Dave

Norm Harvey

I tend to agree with Dave here. The sleepers seem like they would take away from the ability to heat the entire gypcrete into a uniform thermal mass.

What is the scope of the job? Is the gypcrete on top of wood framing with a subfloor?

Rehau raupanel or Uponor quicktrac is my method of choice for over subfloor radiant.

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hr

That was a fairly common method

But I haven't seen or done one in years. I think the acceptence, and wide variety of engineered and laminate flooring made way for a straight gyp pour without the sleepers.

Those furring strips were a pain in the butt. Hard to cross from space to space without a lot of cutting. They tended to creak when the sleepers dried out after the heat was on. The gyp always shrunk down from the top of the sleeper eliminating the contact patch. The gyp installers tripped over them. Lots of hardwood waste to break on the sleepers. Need I go on.

hot rod

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Paul_11

sleepers in gypcrete works great

Pex buried in gypcrete is my favorite method of installing radiant. I have done many thousands of square feet.

2X3 sleepers, laid down flat, 18" on centers works great. With 18" centers, the 9" loop is easy to do by just having one loop between two sleepers. Keep one end tight to the wall and leave a small opening at the other end to move between the sleepers, or leave a space anywhere you want. Just make sure you leave enough sleeper to nail you first or last piece of flooring.
I find it very easy to cut out a little sleeper here and there to make it all work.

I like gypcrete because:
1)It has great heat dispersion, without the tubing moving. When the tubing moves, it can wear a hole in itself. I've seen it happen in some other's work.
2) Since you can pour it thin, you have quick response time.
3) If someone drives a nail or screw in some pex, it is easy as pie to dig the floor up.
4) Since the pour is somewhat self leveling, installing tiles is very easy.

One downside is you can't leave it unfinished.

Good like in your project.

Respectfully,

Paul B. Shay
pshay@arealgoodplumber.com
LMP 1307
LMFS 654B
OUR MISSION: TO PROVIDE WORLD CLASS PLUMBING, HEATING, AND SPRINKLER SERVICE TO EACH AND EVERY CLIENT WE SERVE, FAR EXCEEDING THEIR HIGHEST EXPECTATIONS!

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Unknown

Paul,

I`m very glad it worked for what you did. Seems kinda silly to me to use gypcrete then embed sleepers, whats the point of installing a "wet system" then making it a dry one? Redundant to me.

Dave

Troy_3

Sleepers in gyp

We do this all the time. The key is to pour the gyp a hair high. we then go in and sand the floor with a floor sander. It is a pain. We used to pour low by using a squeegy over the sleepers while finishing. The hardwood guys cried so much we have gone to the sanding method. You still get the solid feel, it is still pourd wall to wall. We tell the carpenter to glue and nail/screw the sleepers. Don't get me wrong-I prefer a solid gyp floor and a laminate floor over it with no nails. The finish is never my choice. I have used many dry systems also and I have think Rahaupanel give the best performance under wood. I love the fact that gyp floors are always quiet. No nasty expansion noises. There are many ways to skin the same cat.

Paul Pollets

Don't Do It!!

Sleepers in Gyp is passe technology. Many contractors did this before pre-engineered hardwoods were widely available. As Hot Rod noted, the shrinkage caused problems. It's also much harder to install tubing with sleepers.

The best method for overpours has no sleepers in it.

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Unknown

I'm with paul and others. First, try like heck to get rid of the nailed wood.

You can do this with good results, but there is little reason to these days.

hr

Troy is

a licensed gypcrete installer, possibly one of the best. If you go the sleeper route be very clear with your installer on what you plan on doing, and the finish you expect.

Better yet have them contact Troy for the inside scoop.


If it were me and money was no option, I'd consider Timberstrand or other manufactured material for the sleepers. They are very straight and stable. Some are available in 40 foot lengths!

I have memories of 2X2 or 2X4 sleepers twisting,swelling, shrinking, cupping, and splitting during and after the hardwood nail down step. Dimensional lumber is very unstable these days as it is cut from young,rapid growth tree. I lived near a stud mill in Montana once. You wouldn't believe the culls from stud making. 25 cents a piece to the lcals for the culls, back in the day..


Adjusting gypcrete after the mpour isn't a fun or mprofitable task. Best to get it right on the first try.

hot rod

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