I’m about to begin installing a 2-1/4″ oak strip floor on top of a 3/4″ t&g advantech subfloor. Joist spacing is 16″. I was planning to run the flooring perpidicular to the joists until my wife got the idea that it would be “real nice” to install the flooring in a concentric rectangular pattern that paralleled the walls. I’m not sure that describes it correctly, but it would mean that half of the flooring would wind up running parallel to the joists.
I’ve read that one really needs a minimum of 1-1/8″ of underlayment to run strip floowing parallel to the joists. Is that an accurate statement? Would I be asking for trouble if I ran some of the flooring parallel to the joists?
Thanks!
Sco
Replies
Do you have any idea of how much MORE work that is?
Weaving the FOUR corners together at EVERY row, keeping all corners square and cutting all rows to length with a min. of shorts.
Save your money and time. Just put a bullet in your head now. You'll get the same result with much less effort.
F.
LOL! I do have an idea how much more work that is, and I've tried to convey that to my wife. I'm hoping that after hearing it from someone who has a clue (in contrast to my wife and I) maybe I can convince her that it's a very bad idea.
Honestly, I was just hoping for someone to tell me that the subfloor was insufficient. Maybe I don't need that now. Maybe your response will be enough to put this idea of hers to rest...
Thanks!
beef it up w 1/2" cdx if setting parallel to joists floor will be noisy w movement and weak underfoot if sheathing picks up weak spots if lot of rain hits advantek during framing, it picks up sags between joists like osb other post is right, lot of extra work another problem w woven pattern corners is they tend to open up over time
Sco,
If your running the boards parallel then beefing up the subfloor (as previously mentioned) would definitely solve the problem. Hopefully, the height won't be an issue.
As for the pattern of installation you discussed, while it will take longer it can be a great look so the time & labor really shouldn't be a factor. I worked on a floor for a hardwood company in Florida where we did the same design for their showroom. It really looked sharp.
If you weave the corners in a log cabin style you shouldn't have any problems with the corners separating. If the corners are all mitered then they have a greater risk of separating when the floor expands & contracts. Although, you could biscuit the miters.
How about installing the floor on a diagonal? That is easy & always looks great. Or, you could run the floor in the direction you want & run a 3-4 border around the room as a compromise. The border around the room with a diagonal installation is a really impressive look.
Ken