hi,
new here. hello to everyone ..
need to make a decision asap.
we are in MA and planing to put 4" red oak on the second floor of a split style house.
there is only 1" particle board under the carpet. (nothing else underneath it, is this normal???)
so contractor/installer is going to replace it with 3/4" plywood.
we want 4+" unfinished red oak. but everyone including the contractor(s) seem to think that's a bad idea. because it wider, it will be more easy to buckle. they said 3.5" will be the max.
what are your thoughts?

(please forgive my English, it's not my native tone.. )

thanks,

ziguan

I am in MA also and just installed a prefinished 4"red oak floor for a client. As long as enough expansion is left and you maintain proper temperature and humidity there shouldn't be a problem. If he doesn't feel comfortable, I would be happy to install it for you.

What these guys are saying about the width of the plank makes no sense to me. I think it would be a good idea to schedule a time for Jeff to come over, and give you an estimate.

How do you replace the PB if it is under the walls? Doesn't this create a weakened structure on the interior walls? If I run into that I float it or screw down some ply over top.

take out the particle today and discovered that there is actually 1/2" ply under the particle.
we are adding the 3/4' ply on top of it anyway. it's gonna be very solid for the hardwood floor.
I think we will go with the 3 1/4" (not that I don't want to listen to the pros, but I figure it's better be safe than sorry).

thanks,

ziguan

Thousands of feet of 4 1/4 and wider is installed everyday. I wonder...did price enter into this choice???

The wider the better...thats whats popular these days.

Red Oak is a pretty safe wood to install. Now it were Hickory....

Howard, least it ain't 2 1/4 uck

the price difference is only 10 cents.
but the installer keep saying 4" is going to be more difficult to fit perfectly. will leave space? (something like that).
and everyone else including another hw installer said 4+" is much more easy to buckle? so far, only one contractor said it shouldn't be a problem.

thanks,

ziguan

Problem is your listening to a contractor, who probably installs now and then. If you really want 4" then get 4" and have an actual installer put it in, someone who does it for a living and does it every day not just occasionally.

sorry for the confusion.
they are all installers.
and yes, they are willing to put down anything we chose. but they were just giving us advices.

thanks,

ziguan

I'd go with the guy who is most confident in the 4' + installation. Perhaps you could ask him if he is or will be going to glue and fasten it.

funny thing is that I did go to one of the house that was done by that guy and took a look at his work.
it's horrible. not space between the end of hw to wall. stain not 100% covering the wood. sanding was terrible. the the planks(?) for each row and the next are only 2" apart. just big NO NO for everything. that guy is out of the picture. (and he said he's been doing hw install for 20 years. I felt bad for that home owner.

all of them are going to use staples. no glue.

thanks,

ziguan

Well just because a guy has been installing hardwood for 20 years doesn't mean he does nice work. But it sounded like that was the guy to check out, in reference to installing a wider plank. He sounded like the only guy that had a clue. It's beyond me why these other guys are nervous about installing a plank over 3 1/2" wide The wider planks are so much more desirable and in demand. IMHO, I dont know how these guys stay in business, shying people away from wide planks. On a side note....A 4 1/2" width plank, isn't even that wide

thank you all for the replies.
we have the hw here (3 1/2) and look not too bad... I think it's ok.

4" is fine aclimation is very important you do although have to "baby" the floor more than usual humidity becomes a factor. Rule of thumb anything over a 3 1/4" wide board in a solid floor should be engineered.