I’ll be installing some Bruce prefinished T&G flooring for a customer and would appreciate some advice from the resident experts.
The flooring is going in over an existing sheet vinyl floor. The vinyl is on 1/4″ particle board underlayment which is nailed to the subfloor (3/4″ ply?)
The installation instructions say that the floor can either be glued or stapled. My gut says that stapling would be a better installation, but I’m open to suggestions.
Thanks
Replies
I would whole heartedly recommend stapling over gluing. It's faster, cleaner, less waiting and easier to fix 'oops's'. However the 1/4" particle board is a concern. Check with Bruce as to whether they will warrant. I suspect it is not a rated underlayment and I would be leary of the staples holding power into particle board.
I've almost decided to take up the particle board and vinyl, add screws to the subfloor (if necessary), lay rosin paper, then staple with 1-1/4" staples.
Thicker underlayment isn't an option since the customer has some cheesy HD cabinets and dishwasher clearance is already tight.