Hello,

I was very intrigued by a recent post and the reply (nail-solid-brazilian-cherry-onto-osb-t7446.html?hilit=subfloor) and now I am second guessing myself. I have prefinished 5" Brazilian teak that I will be putting perpendicular to the joists. I have 2 of the 4 bedrooms prepped to the subfloor (ripping out hard board). I seem to have T&G 23/32 plywood subfloor which only seem to bounce in the corners. 1 bedroom seems flatter then the other.

I have already puchased 800^2 bc 1/4" plywood but have not installed yet. Cheep compared to the teak but is it necessary? After ripping up the hard board I believe the hardboard is what was causing squeeks. Should I install or not?

Bonus question: why would someone put down 15# felt under hardboard in one bedroom and not the other?

There should be no need for an additional underlayment if your existing subfloors are 23/32" plywood and the floor joists are no more the 20" OC with 16" OC preferred. Just lay the flooring at right angles to the joist direction. I am assuming your Teak floors are 3/4" thick and you are nailing the boards down.



They ran out of the felt.

Thanks for the reply Gary. Your assumptions are correct.

guess I wasted some time getting that wood.

As for the bonus question: the felt was sandwiched between the subfloor and the hardboard underlayment. There were no nail/staple holes to show there used to be a hardwood floor in the bedroom.

So, adding an extra layer is mainly about adding strength, besides matching floor heights?

Basically, yes. To make the substrate stiffer, stronger, less flex, more nail holding capacity, and to possibly provide a smoother substrate to install over.