Question for any carpenters

Marcelo Cantu

Marcelo Cantu

Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
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....So we're ripping up our floors to put in hardwood floors and underneath is all particle board. All the DIY store websites say this is unsuitable to install the hardwood. That !@#$% particle board is holding in nails pretty !@#$% good as I'm pulling them out to remove the PB.

So is it just propaganda to sell me some plywood or can I just use the PB?

TIA
 
I used to do hardwood floors for a living and I would recommend getting the plywood. If you're running the floor with the joists rather than across them, there will be several runs of boards that aren't nailed to anything other than the sub-floor.
 
Marcelo Cantu said:
....So we're ripping up our floors to put in hardwood floors and underneath is all particle board. All the DIY store websites say this is unsuitable to install the hardwood. That !@#$% particle board is holding in nails pretty !@#$% good as I'm pulling them out to remove the PB.

So is it just propaganda to sell me some plywood or can I just use the PB?

TIA
Click to expand...

The particle board will not hold the nails...neither the ones used by a hardwood-nailer, nor finish nails if you do it by hand. The nails from the nailer are wedge shaped with teeth and need something more solid that the flakes in particle board to grip into. Also...on top of that it's much better if there is a 3/4 inch plywood sub-floor and then 5/8 plywood underlayment on top of that and then the hardwood. all of the flexing done by the hardwood and sub-floor from walking on it and then the expansion and contraction factor created by so many separate pieces makes the idea of using the particle board a VERY bad idea. It will only wiggle all the nails loose over a relatively short period of time and cause your new hardwood floors to look like crap, and buckle and bow. You also need to lay some roofing felt between the new hardwood and what ever you are nailing it to.

Are you doing pre-finished or raw hardwood floors?

By the way...I've been a carpenter for over 25 years.
 
I am not a carpenter, but a do it yourselfer in all things home repair. Never skimp on the foundation. Everything else is dependent upon what is below it. Floors, walls, sidewalks roofs, and driveways all need the same thing. If you make a strong foundation your work will come out nice.
 
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