Hi , I have reading the posts in the forum and have gained a lot of valuable information just wanted input on my choices?

We have a house built in 1936.. currently has old hardwood bad condition and would like to remove.

getting ready to do the floor with a installer and wanted to get verification on my approach

SUBFLOOR PREP

It rests on 1 by 7 sub floor with small gaps in between and on diagonals laid at 45 degrees. Those are supported by true 2 by sixes.

After ripping the old hardwood i would like to secure any loose sub floor boards with screws or nails and then lay on top a 1/2 ply wood for extra support, is this overkill ? not enough ? if so and does it need to be tongue and groove plywood

WOOD CHOICE

2 1/4 inch wide, 3/4 inch red oak quater sawn select, end matched etc...from alton bay a company from build direct. any info n this company.

its about 3.50 delivered per square foot

INSTALL AND FINISH

finished on site , no stain just 4 coats don't what yet except last coat is bona x traffic.

the house is raised foundation and we don't have our ac connected yet
should i get ac up and running so i can acclimatize the wood and for how long...?

any advice greatly appreciated

am i missing anything pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease let me know

thanks a million

if you lay any new subfloor down. Just make sure that the doors will still open or the Height is good around the area(s). you will be ripping out 3/4 and add 1 1/4 now if you lay a 1/2" ply. And find a REAL flooring company to buy your floor from.
Jeff
good luck

Thanks Jeff for the info...

I am replacing all doors except for the front door ..... but i will take taht into consideration.

is alton bay really that bad?... what do you know of it...

price 3.50 sqf delivered is good isnt it??... i guess the quality must be really lacking ?!

has any one used it or seen any reviews...?


thanks for your help

Build direct is a online seller who gets there wood from a dist , i think their name is Mercer .
They carry seven different brands .
I would want to know the brand name , and if it is coming from China .
You don't want any wood from China .
You could go to a store and get red oak from a American company for around the same price . And if you have bad wood they are close by to return it .

i believe the name is alton bay...

and they said its american wood....

any one know for sure ?

also in regards to teh subfloor can it be a regular 1/2 inch cdx plywood

what grade is best.. do i need tongue and groove?

dont know anything abou that wood.

subfloorcdx is ok and it is not over kill

and about the grading a clear is the best but most of us use a select and better grade

T&G. yes you need them on all 4 sides
Jeff

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it... i am getting an order together for everything i need so what to include everything..

In regards to the grading I meant for the additional sub
floor that I am adding.. a regular 1/2 cdx is ok..? as this is just flat edges with sno tongue and groove.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... floors.htm

here it says to staple the cdx down...

If i staple what # staple is gluing and screwing better ?

do i lay the 15 lb paper onto of existing sub floor or place it on the new cdx that I will lay down.

you guys are awesome i really really appreciate the help.

It is fine .
Delaware's Finest H.F. was referring to the hardwood .

A lot of build direct's hardwoods are milled in Quebec using Canadian lumber, but you should call them to be sure.

$3.50 a ft for red oak select quartersawn is merely a fair buy. I think I could probably get a better deal through my distributors but I am a flooring contractor. Nothing wrong with Canadian lumber. Can you get a sample prior to buying it? does that $3.50 include any sales taxes? Gotta watch out for those. You should figure about 5% for waste ( cutting and culling ). You can screw and glue the ply down but it's not needed. I've done quite a few installations over old 1 by subfloors. After re-nailing those planks down to the joists, they're good for another 50 years. If you lay the flooring at 90 degrees to the floor joists, you could lay the new flooring directly over your plank subfloors. You would be surprised at how solid it will be. Plywood will make it even more so, especially if they overspanned the joists, which is common in older homes. Now, if the planks are broken with huge knot holes everywhere, yeah, then lay the plywood. I prefer staples because they are fast and inexpensive and hold very well. I use a construction stapler that uses 16 gauge staples with a 7/16" crown. For 1/2" plywood, 1 to 1&1/4" length is adequate. Use lots of staples. 3" to 4 " at perimeter and 6" to 8" in the field.

again thanks for all the information.. you guys really helped out... i always liek to find out the reasons why
it is 3.50 delivered no tax as they are outta state

they sent samples and to my untrained eye look good ?

if i am laying down the.. when should i put down the 15 lb felt paper before the plywood or after

ie should the felt go down as soon as possible or just before the hardwood ?

i am thinking the sooner the better ?


i am going to rip up the old and ..it is very thin now only about a 1/4 inch and have a few beers while i pluck all those nails form the floor... i have some time till my windows get here


i have about only about 500 feet that i need to rip up ( but going to put down about 1200 feet) any bets on how many nails i will pull up ?

after tearing my house up i feel bad for gutting this old house... is there anything creative i can do with old hardwood and nails ???

Hi guys thanks for all the info:

i have a few questions... in regards to moisture control aclimitization etc...


1. After ripping out the floor as mentioned above i plan to lay down the 1/2 inch plywood. Should I lay the 15 lb paper on the existing sub floor and then lay the new plywood on top. or install the plywood and then the 15lb paper?

2. Should I be worried that teh new plywood may contain moisture as it is new? should i lay spread teh plywood out leaned on walls for a couple of days before i install it just to "air" them out ?

rainy season here in los angeles maybe 7 days out of the year...

Is it my aim to get the house to be as stable as moisture free as possible before install of hardwood.?... as i am thinking to my self i have a lot of things looking bad for me... leaky windows(will b changed in four week), new dry wall and paint going up , ac not hooked up yet..

A moisture meter will tell you the MC of the plywood. It will probably be around 9% if it has been properly stored in the warehouse. The felt paper goes on top of the plywood, just before you lay the hardwood flooring. Acclimate the plywood for a few days if you wish.

Get the windows done, the new drywall, and if possible the painting, before bringing the hardwood on-site.
If you are planning on air-conditioning the house, then do so before the hardwood is installed. The floor should be brought into conditions that it will reside in. What we refer to as "acclimatizing". A waste of time if you are going to change the environment after the floor is in place.

What Dennis said
All wet trades should be done prior to bringing in the wood .
Stack the boxes no more then three high with the ends opened , and on a inside wall .