Installing parallel or perpendicular to the joists
Q: I plan to install solid maple hardwood flooring over the existing 5/8″ tongue and groove plywood subfloor. Do I need to install additional plywood subflooring if the hardwood flooring is going to be installed parallel to the floor joists, instead of perpendicular to the joists? Is the existing 5/8″ plywood subfloor (screwed to the joists) adequate to hold the nails/staples? Thanks for any info you can share with me.
A: 3/4 flooring should be installed across the joists. If for some reason (room layout) this is undesirable, I would screw another 3/4 layer over top. What you have with 5/8 is not near adequate or stable enough to support you floor and everything else you will put on it.
As an alternate, you could install the floor diagonally. It is more cutting waste and more time consuming to do. But it will save you the cost of additional plywood and could make for an interesting layout.
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