Q: I am replacing the wood floors in our 45 yr. old house. As I started to remove the old strips, I was surprised to find them spanning 1″ x 2″ strips of wood (16″ O.C.) rather than attached directly to the subfloor. I would remove the strips and attach to the plank subfloor, but then the floor would be 3/4″ lower than it is now.
Can I reinstall the new floor to these strips or would I be better off removing everything and putting down a layer of plywood?
A: I would definitely screw down plywood. It will give you a much stronger, smoother surface to install your plank flooring on.
Related Questions
Cat urine smell in plywood subfloorQ: We are putting down a Pergo laminate floor in a den which had carpeting. The carpet and pad was wet with cat urine for a number of months and it soaked into the plywood. The wood has dark spots, but appears to be fairly dry. We used baking soda…
Thickness of subfloorI had a two layer subfloor over a large, well vented crawl space. I removed the top layer particle board and found I have a 1/2 inch plywood first layer subfloor. If I screw down this first layer, would my new 3/4 solid oak floor be strong enough on top…
Industrial, brick pattern plywood lookQ: I want wood flooring in my basement home office. I would like the industrial look of plywood (cut into 2'x 2' squares) laid in a brick pattern then stained and sealed with acrylic polyurethane. Can this be done? A: Absolutely! Go for it. I've seen that once before, but…
Refinishing plywood stairsI pulled up my carpet on the steps in my split foyer, and I found what looks like plywood. I tried to sand, stain and poly it but I cannot get a smooth finish all over. What can I do to fix this? Also, I would like to take the…