adding new 3/4″ hardwood in old home
hi all, just looking for some advice on laying new 3/4″ t&g hardwood in my living room….. there is an attachment here that gives alot of the details…. the joist dimensions are shown at the top…. the new floor would be going on top of old existing hardwood in the same direction… I understand the ideal situation of the flooring being perpendicular to the joists, but with my situation the original was laid parallel…. the subfloor IS perpendicular, with the flooring parallel… is this allowed because of the position and size of the large 8 x 8 beams?? also, based on my situation, what would some of the recommendations be…. the big boxes don’t have always the best answers, at least ones that I would always trust…. thanks in advance!!!! Todd
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that is too big for me to open, but I can start the ball rolling by saying the going over another finished flooring running same direction will just about guarantee you squeaks.
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OK -- Have seen it now.
What is not clear is - in elevation, what is above the joists now? What shows on the diagram is opnly that finish flooring would go in the same direction as the short joistws.
Is there plywood subfloor? 1" boarding boards for subfloor?
?????
I have no problem with a T&G finish floor running with the joists, IF the subfloor is right.
Still unclear if there is another fiinished floor above a subfloor or ?????
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alright, let see if I can explain this right.... basically there is existing subfloor and floor above the joists shown... the subfloor IS two layers totaling 1 5/8", and the existing hardwood is 3/4"... the reason I want to just put new over top is that at some point there were some boards replaced and those new ones were face nailed, not to mention a different width board.... so, it looks pretty patchy... they probably didn't care, because they were replacing with carpet.... I was thinking to add to the top of that with the new 3/4" hardwood, I'd really hate to rip anything out, its about 240 sf.... so, should I just use floor leveler? re-plywood? or just go over top with the new? on a side note: there is no bridging between the joists, with adding more weight, is it something that needs to be done or not??? if so, any tips in making that any easier???hopefully I gave everything needed, if not, just ask, I will answer anything I can....thanks again in advance, Todd
I'm not going to get into the specifics of the flooring, jsut going to suggest that building up a floor another 3/4" is usually a pretty hack way to go about things and the squeeks will get worse.. Pulling up 250 sq' is no big deal, and then installing a new floor at the same level as the other rooms is sweet. also you could source flooring the same as the original flooring and if most of it is still good, install just enough flooring to make patches, if that is well thought out will not be visible when you sand and varnish, and you will save $ and trees!. . Here in Montreal we put a layer of felt under the flooring, cuts down on squeeks.
Honest to gawd, you are making this harder by going over all that.it would be sooooo easy to take up the top layer of what is there now and then install your new flooring! Just set your circ saw blade to the right depth to cut through this flooring without taking out the subfloor, put in an old carbide blade, and make cuts every 12-18" across the grain. Then use a prybar to lift the pieces off.I did this last month and cleared the whole room in two hours.When you are finished, put a new blade in the saw and lable the old one NFG
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I tend to agree with zooey41. Assuming your homestead is older and you could keep the floor original by replacing the scabbed boards and refinishing it. There is something to be said about reclaiming floors or anything for that matter. I just reclaimed wide pine floor and it took longer than ripping it out and laying H.W. but when all said and done it was well worth it. We finished it with Parks H2O based poly for floors, the odor was minimal and it looks awesome. Also, the extra 3/4" in elevation may be very annoying if it is higher than the other floors in the house. Good Luck!!
so, if I do decide to cut the old floor out, when it comes to approaching interior walls, how do I cut along those walls??? it seems as though the circular saw would not be able to get close enough. I guess that goes for doorways and casings as well.... just a thought, trying to get all my ducks in a row.... thanks again... Todd
Usually the person who laid the floor had the same problem putting them down, so they are face nailed in those areas. They also sometimes use the 1/4 round and other trim to hold them down. Don't worry if you are doing a full tear out it all comes up easily. Transitions from one room to another require planning. I like to stagger the cuts, using a fein oscillating cutter (rental). If you decide to just patch the areas that were previuosly patched with unmatched boards, don't expect to find the flooring size at a Big Box Store (it's worth looking there anyway). But it's around, ask soem flooring specialits in your area. For patching there isa nothing like the fein oscillating saw. Patrick.