Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - prefinished hardwood floor installation
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09-07-01, 01:40 AM
We have purchased a home which is approximately 23 years old. We would like to install prefinished hardwood flooring in the living and hall areas. Underneath the existing carpeting is particle board. We have seen that you should not install this type of flooring over particle board. We have many questions...first, can we install this type of flooring over particle board? If so, do we nail, glue down, or float the flooring? Do we put roofing felt down on top of the particle board? Finally, what depth of board should we choose? Thank you for your time and assistance.
twelvepole
09-07-01, 05:51 PM
Particle board subfloor is not an acceptable subfloor for floor coverings, although you will tend to find it under carpet. It spits out nails and sucks up glue. Not a good thing. If you go with a 3/4" thick nail down product, you will need either kiln-dried boards of NO. 1 or NO. 2 Common Pine or other dense, Group 1 soft woods suitable for subfloors over wood joists, or exterior plywood. If you go with plywood, use 5/8" or 3/4" performance rated products. Also, 3/4" OSB is a comparable substrate. Thinner materials are not recommended for subfloor material.
Engineered, not 3/4" nail down products, wood flooring tend to be glue or staple down products. There are also floating floor options available. IMO, there is no substitute for 3/4" solid hardwood on above grade applications. Engineered hardwood product fans would tend to disagree because these products tend to have more dimensional stability (re: expansion/contraction). These have a thin veneer of real wood over layers of plywood. These products tend to do well on below grade installations on concrete where 3/4" solid wood is not recommended. IMO there is no substitute for a solid wood floor.
If the floor is going over an area that has a crawl space beneath it, you need to address moisture and ventilation issues. No standing water/no dead air spaces/adequate foundation ventilation are a must. Soil in crawl space needs to be covered with polypropylene moisture barrier.
Prior to installation, wood needs to have been stored in dry, well-ventilated area.
Doors and windows need to be in and HVAC (heating/AC) needs to be running to maintain temperature and humidity levels in the home at occupancy levels. All sheetrock needs to have been installed and all concrete, masonry, framing needs to be thoroughly dry.
When your flooring product arrives, it should be broken up into small lots and store in rooms where it will be installed. Allow a minimum of 4-5 days for acclimation to temperature and humidty of jobsite. A vapor barrier (felt) is usually recommended beneath the flooring between it and the subfloor.
You can search this site for excellent installation tips.
http://www.twelvepole.com
Engineered, not 3/4" nail down products, wood flooring tend to be glue or staple down products. There are also floating floor options available. IMO, there is no substitute for 3/4" solid hardwood on above grade applications. Engineered hardwood product fans would tend to disagree because these products tend to have more dimensional stability (re: expansion/contraction). These have a thin veneer of real wood over layers of plywood. These products tend to do well on below grade installations on concrete where 3/4" solid wood is not recommended. IMO there is no substitute for a solid wood floor.
If the floor is going over an area that has a crawl space beneath it, you need to address moisture and ventilation issues. No standing water/no dead air spaces/adequate foundation ventilation are a must. Soil in crawl space needs to be covered with polypropylene moisture barrier.
Prior to installation, wood needs to have been stored in dry, well-ventilated area.
Doors and windows need to be in and HVAC (heating/AC) needs to be running to maintain temperature and humidity levels in the home at occupancy levels. All sheetrock needs to have been installed and all concrete, masonry, framing needs to be thoroughly dry.
When your flooring product arrives, it should be broken up into small lots and store in rooms where it will be installed. Allow a minimum of 4-5 days for acclimation to temperature and humidty of jobsite. A vapor barrier (felt) is usually recommended beneath the flooring between it and the subfloor.
You can search this site for excellent installation tips.
http://www.twelvepole.com