I would like to find out whether or not it’s imperative that hardwood flooring be lay perpendicular to the joists? I have 1 1/4″ of sub-floor down and would like to go with the joists to give the rooms a wider appearance.The one flooring guy that I spoke to says no way.
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Find a new flooring guy. The flooring fasteners used won't even penetrate your subfloor, nailing with the joists would make no difference. Consider installing on a diagonal if you want to open up the room.
> Most old plank subfloors, beneath hardwood were laid at an angle so that the Hardwood floor could lay either way.
Aha! Thanks, I always wondered why they did it that way.
-- J.S.
O.K. I have a plank subfloor with 1/2 plwood on top of that. The flooring would end up going the same direction as the planking. Is that good or bad?
I installed flooring with the joists in one room of the house, perp in the others. I think you will be fine. We laid a 1/4" plywood underlayment down with roofing felt over that and 1.5 years on we haven't had any issues. Our house is 70 years old with the subfloor laid in diagonal. I've read (but can't confirm) that even the 1/4" underlayment helps hold the nails in place to avoid problems.
Jon