Well I am so glad to have found this forum because I just don't know what to do! Any help or advice would be appreciated.

I am installing 5/8" Bamboo flooring and I can't decide what to do about my subfloor or installation method. I'm putting it down in multiple rooms - some currently have carpet and some have linoleum. The house was built in 1978 and I am a little concerned about ripping up the linoleum because I have heard linoleum that old can have asbestos in the adhesive.

Anyway, I have read on the forum here that nailing into particle board is a big no-no. My subfloor is 1/2" plywood, and on top of that I have a 3/4" particleboard underlayment. I’ve seen posts from folks with similar set-ups and most people seem to be advising them to rip up the particleboard and put down another layer of 1/2" plywood before laying the hardwood floor.

I can do that if necessary, but, as I mentioned above, I’d rather not rip up the linoleum. The other disadvantage of going this route is the time and money of laying down ½ inch plywood.

If I just nail the bamboo on top of everything, 2"cleats will only drive 0.16 inches into the plywood subfloor at 45 degrees, according to my calculations. The rest of the nail will be set in the linoleum and the particle board. So if I went that route, I take it my floors will be really squeaky in a couple of years.

My latest idea is to glue the bamboo down and also nail it down. This floor can be glued down (the planks are 3” wide). The only disadvantage I’ve heard to gluing down is that the boards click together when you walk over them and they don’t feel the same as those that are nailed down. Does anyone have any experience with these qualities of glued down boards?

Would my idea of both nailing and gluing prevent squeeks and clicking? Or should I just bite the bullet and rip up the particle board and lay another layer of 1/2 inch plywood? Any advice or other ideas would be most appreciated. Thanks!

If the manufacturer says that your flooring can be glued down, use the adhesive they recommend. If there are no recommendations for adhesives (and there should be), use Bostik's Best or Bostik's BST. You will need to make absolutely sure that the vinyl flooring is well adhered and is NOT a perimeter glue. The vinyl floor should be cleaned and abraded for the best adhesion. Particle board, while not my favorite substrate, is approved for a glue down application, in most cases. Nailing should not be needed.

If your house was constructed properly you will find a 5/8 sq. edge group 1 plywood underlayment underneath the vinyl. There were some builders that tried to save a few bucks and installed PB everywhere though.

Check that out.

Jerry, You must have missed this. And this

Do you mean that there will be 2 layers of plywood beneath the particle board? From what I can tell, particle board is directly under all the linoleum.

What a mess! I'll probably just glue down since that seems to be sound. Is there any disadvantage to gluing over nailing/stapling? Does the wood fell different once installed or can you tell a difference?

Thanks for your help so far!

Nah, Jerry probably meant that you might have had a 5/8" plywood subfloor instead of the 1/2" plywood subfloor that you do have. In which case, you may have been able to avoid having to install anymore plywood. But it's a moot point because you don't have 5/8" plywood and you don't want to remove the p. board and deal with the lino which may have asbestos in it. In which case, since the manufacturer says you can glue the floor down, just do that. It ain't easy, I'll tell you but if you're handy, follow the directions and clean up well, you can probably do it. And actually, a glued down floor can feel more secure; really depends on the flooring. You should be fine. Fix any loose spots or squeeks FIRST.

The vinyl is definitely glued down well, and it is not just glued around the edges - it is glued throughout. As to abrading the vinyl, is there a particular method that works best? That is, should I just use a utility knife and cut it up every couple inches or so?

abrading does not mean cutting!. It means sanding. I use a buffer and a sanding screen. You could use a pole sander (like some dry wall installers use) with some medium (100) grit sandpaper to scuff it up. You are just trying to knock down the gloss of that lino and provide a coarser and cleaner surface for the adhesive to bond to.

Gluedown is going to be a stouter installation!

You want the vinyl surface to have "tooth" so the adhesive bonds good. Just like painting, over paint. You have to sand or it can peel, especially gloss.

Excellent. Thats how I'll do it then! One more question: I'll have areas that are now carpet where I'll rip up the carpet down to the underlayment. How do I deal with the transitions from the linoleum flooring to the clothed underlayment particleboard? Since there will be a 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch difference in the flooring that has linoleum and that without linoleum, how to I deal with this non-flat transition when gluing down the bamboo flooring ontop?

Thanks again for your help with this stuff!

Often, where the vinyl floor ends, it will be a liitle loose on the edge. Cut back the vinyl till it 's in an area that is well bonded. Then use Ardex feather finish to float the minor difference between the vinyl and the underlayment. This takes some skil to make a smooth, even transition.

I'm awake now! Sorry about the confusion, what I meant was that builders were supposed to install PB only in the carpeted rooms and an equal thickness (5/8 or 3/4) underlayment grade square edge plywood in the rooms receiving vinyl. That's what they were "supposed" to do but alot simply would install PB in all rooms out of ignorance or to save money.

I missed the asbestos part. I will stop before I kill someone

Carry on, Gary has you on the right path.