A job in an old library taught me to always check for floor vents under the tack strip

I was putting in a wool berber at the public library in Springfield last month. I pulled up the old carpet and found three floor vents completely buried under the old tack strip and padding. The head custodian said, 'Those haven't worked since the 90s.' I had to cut new openings in the pad and tack strip to clear them. Now I run my hand along the subfloor before I set any strip. Has anyone else found something hidden like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

rosebarnes12d ago

Oh man, that's a wild find! I pulled up some ancient linoleum in a kitchen once and found a whole disconnected drain pipe just sitting there under the underlayment. The homeowner had no idea. It makes you wonder what else is sealed up in these old buildings. You're totally right to check now, that's a solid habit.

john6504d ago

A buddy of mine found a full chimney flue hidden behind drywall in his basement. It was just a hollow brick column that went nowhere, completely sealed in. He only found it because he was looking for a stud and his drill bit went straight through into open space.

the_terry12d ago

That disconnected drain pipe @rosebarnes mentioned is a perfect example. It's not just vents. I found a whole electrical junction box, wires cut and capped, just floating under some foam padding in an office reno. The real fun is when you find the weird stuff, like a sealed-up ash chute from an old coal furnace or a little access door to nowhere. Makes you realize half of remodeling is just archaeology for things that could start a fire or flood your floor.