tack strips

[SGKent]

have some tack strips damaged by termites. Also want to replace the baseboard. It may be possible to reuse most all of the tack strips but it will depend on how far from the wall the strips are and how rusty they are. The issue is that the house was built in 1979 so the slab is well cured. Pulling the old nails is going to leave craters unless I grind the heads one by one. Also will have the issue of getting the new tack strip nails to go into the 30 - 35 year old concrete.

Any suggestions from professionals who replace tack strips in old slabs for a living as to what would be the correct way to do this even if it takes a little longer? We are likely putting carpet back down rather than deal with laminates - dogs trying to run on them and moisture in the winter here in N. CA. I doubt there is a moisture barrier under the slab.

 

[sliced bread]

Once you have removed the old tack strip and concrete nails, fill the holes or craters with a cement base floor patch. Allow to dry as per the manufactures instructions.
Buy your replacement tack strip in the "Standard" format. This means the tack trips do not come with pre incerted nails every 6". Cut your tac strip in 6" pieces and glue them down to the concrete slab with PL400, Liquid nail or a premium construction adhesive. Allow to dry for 24-48 hrs before installing the new carpet.
The 24-48hrs will give the adhesive a chance to cure enough to handle the preasure ofa streached carpet, and won't pop the tack strip off during the carpet installation.

 

[The Cobbler]

option 1 (most reliable IMO, not the easiest ) drill 1/8" holes with a masonry bit & drive 1/2" concrete nails

I was at a trade show and there was a company selling hot melt glue that was guaranteed to hold tack strips to concrete. I can't remember the name but I'll try to get the info for you

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

A number of years ago I saw contact cement being used. Whoever it was dribbled a line parallel to the wall and I imagine coated the bottom of the strip.

Richard

 

[stage20]

one tip on taking up the old nails.
use or buy a "molding lifter" roberts brand or one close from home depot. you want to hit the nail head on with the flat part of the fork. do not hammer the nail in the "V" and pop the nail out. you want to vibrate it loose. keeps from popping out big craters in the concrete.

there is zero need to fill any holes. use a fine broom and sweep all loose debris or vacuum. come back with a damp masonary or grouting sponge and wipe entire edge so its nice and clean. you dont need much glue at all. any that squeezes out just makes it harder to cut down the pad.

wiggle the strip in the glue to make a solid transfer. you wont have any issues.

 

[hippie2cams]

If you got termites in the tack strip, wouldn't you be worried about the ones in the wall 3 inches from your strip. If there in the wall you wont need to worry about tack strip for very long.

 

[Kevin54]

If you got termites in the tack strip, wouldn't you be worried about the ones in the wall 3 inches from your strip. If there in the wall you wont need to worry about tack strip for very long.

^^^^This^^^^

If termites ate your tack strips, you have some bigger problems than just some craters in your concrete and replacing baseboards. You may have to be rebuilding a wall.

 

[James-W]

I suspect it would be in the best interest of the opening poster to have some professional company come in and take care of the termite problem. At the risk of sounding pessimistic, I will say that it is possible the termite damage has gone much further than just the tack strip and the wall.

Even though termites can cause a lot of damage, there may be a bright side to this. Depending on his insurance coverage, it is possible his homeowners insurance MAY pay for any work that needs to be done to repair or replace the damage caused by termites. Without knowing exactly what his coverage is, I can only guess about that, but it would well worth looking into. Just a thought.

 

[Kevin54]

I suspect it would be in the best interest of the opening poster to have some professional company come in and take care of the termite problem. At the risk of sounding pessimistic, I will say that it is possible the termite damage has gone much further than just the tack strip and the wall.

Even though termites can cause a lot of damage, there may be a bright side to this. Depending on his insurance coverage, it is possible his homeowners insurance MAY pay for any work that needs to be done to repair or replace the damage caused by termites. Without knowing exactly what his coverage is, I can only guess about that, but it would well worth looking into. Just a thought.

That would be nice. I don't know if insurance companies would cover for that though unless you have proof of treatment done. A friend of mine had some significant termite damage done to his house through a well known company, and even though the company states that they will repair and/or replace any damage caused by termites, they had a little teeny tiny clause in there that they won't replace areas where they can't treat. The wall damaged was between the house and garage. They said that since they couldn't treat under the garage floor, that they couldn't stop the damage. If it was an outside wall, then they would have covered it.

So others may want to check into something like that if you have an attached garage and are treated for termites on a regular basis.

Here are a couple of things about Homeowners Insurance and termite damage. It doesn't sound like any will cover it.

http://www.termites.com/treatment/insurance/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-termite-damage/

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7157205_home-insurance-cover-termite-damage_.html

 

[Zeke]

I'd pull up the damaged strips leaving the nails behind. You can drive the offending ones down flush. You can run new strips just inside marginal ones to save work. Or use new strips just inside the old nails. Lots of ways to go about this.

 

[draglink]

Once you have removed the old tack strip and concrete nails, fill the holes or craters with a cement base floor patch. Allow to dry as per the manufactures instructions.
Buy your replacement tack strip in the "Standard" format. This means the tack trips do not come with pre incerted nails every 6". Cut your tac strip in 6" pieces and glue them down to the concrete slab with PL400, Liquid nail or a premium construction adhesive. Allow to dry for 24-48 hrs before installing the new carpet.
The 24-48hrs will give the adhesive a chance to cure enough to handle the preasure ofa streached carpet, and won't pop the tack strip off during the carpet installation.

^^^^^^ this

you might try one first. I have seen new const concrete that was VERY difficult to tack and I have seen older slabs that aren't bad. Try first