Good Morning - I am new here and to hardwood floors in general. I've spent some time on the John Bridge tiling forum but hardwood is new to me.

I am renovating the kitchen in our 1952 Ranch. This past weekend i ripped up the ceramic tile, durock and linoleum/ply mixture that was previously down.

Our house has 3/4 red oak laid directly over 1x6 T&G planks throughout (seem to be in decent shape minus a few spots we damaged ripping up the floor). We'd like to match the height from the dining room into the kitchen which would require me to lay the floor in the same manner.

My question: Is this OK to do so?

If I were to put down 1/2" ply under the 3/4 Bruce pre-finished that I bought, i would have 1/2" step-up/threshold. I'd like to avoid this but also don't want to have any issues by laying the 3/4 hardwood over the 3/4 planks.


Is it OK to put down red rosin paper and then lay the 3/4" hardwood directly over the planks?

Thank you very much for your help.

The way the oak floor in the house is laid over the 1X6 is the traditional technique. I would expect that you have a diagonally laid sub-floor. Make sure that the sub-floor is fastened down well so you don't have loose boards and squeaking, later. Red rosin paper is not a moisture barrier like Aqua-bar, which has a layer of wax and asphalt sandwiched together. This helps keep the flooring flat. You can use a double sided tape for starting rows, sticking the flooring to the planks so you don't have to top-nail the first row, which is made by the Tite Bond company, and finish up with it, too.

Thank you. The planks are laid perpendicular to the joists and are not on a 45* angle. Throughout the house I certainly do have squeaks/creeks when walking.

Does that change your opinion?

The best floor would be laid diagonally. I notice that laying the floor parallel to the sub-floor does not get the best results, but is still a good floor. I have not had a problem laying hardwood parallel to the sub-floor. In one case I put aluminum sheet metal down before the flooring with a 5/16th inch floor. It is square-edge with no T&G so alignment was paramount. Check the sub-floor with a straight-edge to make sure it is flat. You could use asphalt roll roofing to help keep everything in alignment. Most of the roofing is now made with a fiberglass mat. It would raise the height less than an eighth inch.
I think the plywood is overkill, but go with the manufacturer if you value the warranty.

Thank you. I just picked up the Aquabar and will use that instead of rosin.

If I lay the floor down perpendicular to the plank subfloor I am essentially laying it down parallel to the joists. That is ok?

Planks are stiffer than plywood. They will support the load either way. Usually the flooring goes the long direction of rooms.

Hi Pete,
The long direction of the room would run the same way/parallel to the T&G planks and would be perpendicular to the joists.

Do you think this would hold up well?

Pete,
Here is a picture of what I am working with. https://ibb.co/gcO2qx

I would lay the flooring parallel to the T&G sub-floor with fasteners every 8 inches and within a couple of inches at ends of each piece.

Hi Pete,
All of your help is appreciated. Would running the new floor parallel to the planks cause panelizing?

You could get panelizing if no sealer or stain was used as a first coat of finish. I have not seen it using a solvent based finish. Big swings in humidity which affects swelling and shrinkage will usually cause gaps which can lead to panelization.
Panelizing is where there are several rows of strips or planks glued together by finish with a gap between the next row of boards. using flooring that has acclimated to the mid-point of seasonal moisture content will reduce the chances.
You wouldn't notice panelizing with cupped floors.

Hi Pete- I am using pre-finished Bruce 3/4x 2-1/4 Natural Oak.

Will I get panelizing with this if nailed to the planks in the same direction they are layed?

Would I be better off replacing the T&G planks with 3/4 T&G OSB?

No, I don't see how that could happen. The Sub-floor that you have now is stiffer than plywood or OSB.