I am replacing my flooring with 9/16" hardwood. I have a 3/4" plywood subfloor with a 3/8" particle board underlayment. The painful part is that I have been trying to remove the underlayment and is glued and stapled (very well glued).

I know that I should not have particle board under hardwood. Is my only option to remove it, or can I use 2" cleats to drive through the particle board to the plywood and joists? I intend to cover the floor with 15# roofing felt for a vapor barrier. Am I just asking for trouble if I don't remove the particle board even if I do the other steps?

Since it is 9/16 hardwood, could I glue it directly to the underlayment instead of nailing?

Help.

Wade

On Robertconsolidated site I found a device call a Sabre Floor Stripper. Has anyone used one of these? Would it remove my 3/8" particle board with staples, or is this not it's purpose?

Also, for gluing solid wood is Roberts 1405 Urethane better than their 1404 Premium? And, can I glue it to particle board?

Thanks.

Wade

Particle board is not an appropriate subfloor for stapling or nailing hardwood period.

I have to remove 5/8" particle board underlayment and replace it with 3/4" OSB underlayment. Mine fortunately is not glue down but still a very dusty mess. This morning I bought a respirator and put the flooring inside to begin its acclimation. I also grouted the new tile job on the fireplace. I now have 2-3 weeks to pull out the old and install the new underlayment.

I share your pain.

What about gluing. The flooring that I am putting in is 9/16 thick, 6" wide, 6' long, solid maple, but it is glue-laminated pieces (2 wide). It's not your typical 3/4" hardwood. I would almost have to call it engineered, but it is solid hardwood throughout.

3/8 particle board? Never seen any of that. If it is indeed 3/8, I would nail right over it. 2 in staples will grab plenty of plywood.

I am no fan of particle board, but I am not superstitious about it, either.

Chuck, here in CA, 3/8 p. board is commonly used for vinyl underlayment on wood subfloors. And for years, cheap builders used it for underlayment under all sorts of things, including ceramic tile. And if you check out Armstrong's specs, they say that it is an approved underlayment for sheet vinyl. As far as nailing through it, NOFMA and the NWFA do not recommend that. As you know, when using 2" fasteners in a 3/4" T&G floor, approx. 1" of that fastener (maybe less) will protrude from the underside of the floor board, which will leave about 5/8" of fastener going into the subfloor. It is probably enough, however, my experience has shown that nailing through p. board can be a recipe for disaster with excess movement and noise common. So, to be on the safe side, I continue to abide by NOFMA's recommendations and never nail to or through particle board.

I resigned myself to the fact that the particle board (I also heard it called K3 board) had to go. We spent a grueling week removing the particle board, glue, and staples (still feeling the pain). My wife and I did most of it as I thought this was a job for relatives not friends (so I had the inlaws come and visit for the weekend).
I had to scrape every inch of the plywood subfloor with a wood chisel and do a once-over with the belt sander to make sure it was cleaned up and smooth. I will be putting in a bunch of screws to tighten up the floor and get rid of some of the squeaks. After that, putting down 15# roofing felt and nailing the floor down.

The best piece of advice that I can give to anyone reading this: If you are thinking about putting down hardwood, check you underlayment and make sure that it is worth the effort. To be honest, I bought the hardwood at an auction for a great price, but if I knew then, what I know now, I would have picked up engineered hardwood or laminate just to save the pain of the underlayment removal. I love the look of the hardwood and I'm stuborn which can be a painful combination (bruises to prove it).

Good luck to everyone else.

Regards,
Wade

I'm a bit late to this but hoping for some insight.

We have been in our home for 4 years and the linoleum in the laundry and kitchen has to go.

Sadly it appears that some dillhole glued 3/8" particle board on top of the 3/4" subfloor in both rooms (they are connected).

Apparently this was done and the cabinets placed on top of the particleboard.

We are going to be replacing the linoleum with tile on top of Ditra in the laundry and 1/2" engineered hardwood in the kitchen.

Another pain is that the kitchen also connects to a) dining room and b) family room. We will eventually be replacing the dining room carpet with the same hardwood flooring. Neither of these rooms has the particle board underlayment.

So my question is: Will it be acceptable to remove the particle board from the floor but leave the cabinets and island on the particle board?

New cabinets are not in the budget but new counter tops will closely follow the new flooring.

I know this is going to be a nightmare to remove the particle board.

Thanks

Jerry