Installing hardwood

[shane_c]

I've been reading that hardwood should be installed over plywood and not particle board. I went down my basement and looked up and it says structurewood. It looks more like particle board than plywood to me and I really don't want to get involved in taking it out and replacing it with plywood. Has anyone installed hardwood over particleboard before?

[icarus]

That would be a good name for a porno. But to answer your question, no.

[shane_c]

The wood on the floor is Weyerhaeuser Structurwood Edge Gold. Apparently is an OSB (oriented strand board).

[Frank the Tank]

There might be a layer of plywood on top of the particle board. You'll never know until you tear up some of your hardwood.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

There might be a layer of plywood on top of the particle board. You'll never know until you tear up some of your hardwood.

You mean tear up the carpet. From what I've been reading now it should be fine. It's not quite a particle board and not quite plywood. Looks like it should be okay beneath the hardwood.

[Frank the Tank]

Oh sorry, I thought you had hardwood there already and were wanting to replace it. My bad.

[mykalberta]

Supposed to be over plywood, and my god get a permit and dont forget the VAPOUR BARRIER, for the love of god dont forget the VAPOUR BARRIER.

Sorry, I have gotten hooked on PVRing Holmes on Homes.

MYK

[redforever]

we are doing a house reno right now, taking out all carpet and putting in hardwood there and taking out all lino and putting in tile there.

We have a base of plywood and then K3 on that, which is a particle board. The hardwood guy says you can put hardwood over K3 or particle boards, cause they will both expand and contract at the same rate basically, with heat, moisture in the air etc.

But, the tile guy says you absolutely can not put tile over particle board. It is too subject to expansion and contraction. Not unless you want your grout to pop out!!! So, sigh, for that portion of the house, we have to rip out all the K3 and put down plywood and then he can put down the tile. Wont be pretty for awhile, have around 1400 square feet of K3 to rip out((

[zarrell]

Originally Posted by shane_c

You mean tear up the carpet. From what I've been reading now it should be fine. It's not quite a particle board and not quite plywood. Looks like it should be okay beneath the hardwood.

What you have is your standard flooring material, installed in every home and hardwood gets installed right on top of that.

[V]

Hardwood goes over top of OSB all the time. I've been told by a hardwood expert that you don't want to install it on K3, though.

We had to tear up all the K3 in our kitchen and front entrance when we did our hardwood. That was a fun job...

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Supposed to be over plywood, and my god get a permit and dont forget the VAPOUR BARRIER, for the love of god dont forget the VAPOUR BARRIER.

Sorry, I have gotten hooked on PVRing Holmes on Homes.

MYK

I am pretty sure you are kidding but I am almost 10000% positive you do not need a permit for installing hardwood. I also watch an eposide of Holmes on Home where they found a vapour installed underneth hardwood but over concrete and that caused alot of problems.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by redforever

But, the tile guy says you absolutely can not put tile over particle board. It is too subject to expansion and contraction. Not unless you want your grout to pop out!!! So, sigh, for that portion of the house, we have to rip out all the K3 and put down plywood and then he can put down the tile. Wont be pretty for awhile, have around 1400 square feet of K3 to rip out((

That is messy messy messy job. It is glue down and stapled. We took out just over 500 square feet and it took 3 days of straight work. That **** came out in very very very small pieces. THe dust that is created is just crazy.

[V]

Yeah, it's not a fun job. And then there's the pieces that just don't come up, so you have to take a belt sander to it. Good times.

[MacDougalbry]

The Hardwood Flooring Manufacturers Association says OSB is OK so long as it is 23/32 or greater thickness. The subfloor should be nailed, glued, and screwed.

K3, I believe, can swell, and as such is a no-no under tile. Same with MDF. If you take it down to the bare OSB subfloor, then you should add at least 1/2" of plywood. Mike Holmes would probably tell you to use Ditra as well.

[MacDougalbry]

Originally Posted by Mccree

That is messy messy messy job. It is glue down and stapled. We took out just over 500 square feet and it took 3 days of straight work. That **** came out in very very very small pieces. THe dust that is created is just crazy.

I think you can put down 1/2" plywood on top of the K3, that is probably easier than ripping it all out. Go to the Mike Holmes Fan Forum to find out for sure.

[Shazam]

Yes, yes, yes, you can install hardwood just fine over your subfloor.

You can check your subfloor by removing one of your floor vents and taking a look.

And as mentioned, tile can't go over OSB. What stuns me is when I go into a show home, lift up a floor vent and find tile thinset onto particleboard!!!!

[redforever]

I think you can put down 1/2" plywood on top of the K3, that is probably easier than ripping it all out. Go to the Mike Holmes Fan Forum to find out for sure.

Yeah, you can, but then the floor wont all be the same uniform heighth. Plus, by the time you add 1/2" of plywood, and then factor in your glue and grout stuff for the tiles and the heighth of the tiles, you are adding a lot. And then the dishwasher is gonna be real snug, and the built in refrigerator too.

We will have hardwood in the great room, master bedroom and dining room, tile and slate inlay in front foyer, and tile thruout kitchen and nook, guest bathroom, laundry room area, back entrance, mudroom etc, around 2400 square feet in total area, and we do want the surface all to be the same heighth.

My tile guy has recommended 3/4" plywood, maybe it depends on the type of tile you use. Mine is pretty thick and the more weight you have, the more you dont want give on your floor. That is when you get the grout popping out problems.

We are not sure yet if the K3 has been glued and stapled, most likely it is. My tile guy said they dont glue it much anymore, but the age of my house is borderline he said for when some builders glued, some stapled or screwed it down. Our friends just had to take out the K3 and they said, dust was on every surface throughout the house((

[CRXguy]

Originally Posted by Dominicwasalreadytaken

Hardwood goes over top of OSB all the time. I've been told by a hardwood expert that you don't want to install it on K3, though.

We had to tear up all the K3 in our kitchen and front entrance when we did our hardwood. That was a fun job...

K3 is a big no-no as some of you have mentioned. When you nail into the hardwood and it goes down on the K3, it literally goes right through it so the new hardwood would not settle properly. The floor will have humps and dips over time.

I have had people ask me to do it this way, because they were too cheap to fork out a bit more to get a new subfloor installed. Do it right the first time is what I always tell people, but most of them don't listen.

[V]

I hope you don't actually do it. Just watch them come back after you when the floor looks like crap.

[CRXguy]

I usually decline if I get those kind of customers.

For the most part, I have a lot of customers that understands the type of work that needs to be done, so it makes the job less stressful. When I run into one of the few idiots, I just want to pull my hair out. LOL