i want to put down 3/4 prefinish hardwood

these are the layers..... linoleum over 1/4 masonite THEN asbestos tiles over 1/4 masonite on 5/8 or 3/4 tounge n groove planks

i do not want to get involved with the asbestos for obvious reasons....so can a hardwood floor be nailed over this? is all very sound and solid

i could possibly pull up the linoleum and and 1 layer of masonite if need be i guess....thoughts

Well most of your holding power is going to be limited to the two layers of masonite, and to small degree the two layers of tile. Personally, I wouldn't rely on this. Removal of the top layer of masonite will help you with penetration into the sub-floor; however, if it is ring nailed, it is gonna be a labour of love to remove it.
The ideal: remove all surface floors down to the base sub-floor, re-fasten and flatten as necessary, and install new plywood over the top.
I have found that older board sub-floors also lose a lot of their nail holding ability after a number of years due to excessive drying out.
The new plywood could be as thin as 1/4 inch if there are any height restrictions in your project. Otherwise, use 3/8th inch or idealy, 1/2 inch for optimum results.

The key is how well the fasteners are going to hold into what ever is below the actual hardwood. While removing the linoleum and masonite you gain about 3/8" In other words any 2" nail or staple has that much more grab power. Wow, this one is out of my realm. I'm sure guys that deal with these issues all the time can help better.

I have a feeling they may steer you towards a floating floor. I'm interested in the responses.



Yea, I thought of that as well.

Dennis snuck in front of me before I clicked submit.