Laying Wood Floors - subflooring question

drewz

Hello ...

I'm going to be installing solid wood flooring on my second floor .. 711 sqft to be exact. My house was built in 1921 and after ripping up the rugs, I have found a layer of plastic tile on top of a layer of masonite on top of the original floor boards. The tile and masonite measure about 1/4" in height. The tile is completely intact across all the rooms.

My question is:
1. Do I need to rip all the tile and masonite up or just screw some 1/2" or 3/4" plywood right on top of the tile/masonite?

2. Will this make any difference besides adding height to my subfloor?

Thanks so much in advance. I attached some pics of the floor to give everyone an idea of what the tile looks like.

Drew

Jeekinz

A problem you will encounter is at the stairs. If at all possible, I would try to remove as much material as possible so the top step isn't higher than the rest of the staircase.

jogr

Old tile can contain asbestos so removal can be a hassle. Why do you want to add the additional layer of subfloor? Ask your flooring manufacturer if you can put the new floor directly over the tile. It looks to be very smooth and in good shape.

NateHanson

I wonder if you could just lay builders paper over the lino tiles and use 2" nails to install your flooring? I'm not sure what adding plywood would do, other than adding a lot of height.

If you raise the floors 3/4" or 1 1/2", you'll need to replace the threshholds at each doorway, and it may make you trip over the top step of the staircase. Perhaps you could only remove all the flooring in the hallway, and have the rooms 1/2" taller than the hallway (that's a pretty minor transition if you have a threshhold in each doorway.) Then the top stair wouldn't be so high.

drewz

Thanks for all the comments ...

Yeah I was just going to add the plywood to provide a stronger base. I wasn't sure the tile, masonite and floor boards would be strong enough to nail the hardwood to. So you guys think that the current subfloor (tile,masonite,floorboards) would be sufficient?

Jeekinz

When you say "original floorboards" do you mean an original finished wood floor or the subfloor?

What thickness wood floor are you installing?

I have uneven floors in my home from various remodels, and let me tell you, it's a PITA. Appraisers don't like seeing stuff like that. I have to reconfigure 75% of the second floor, and remove about 1000 sq ft of a floating floor on the first level. Which was an idiotic attempt by a builder to level the floors in a 100 year old house.

drewz

I mean the original floor boards which are tongue and grove 2 1/4" x 3/4". If there were original wood floors i would definitely consider refinishing them. But no such luck ...

I am installing 2 1/4" x 3/4" american cherry.

NateHanson

I'd make sure your nails are long enough to extend into the subfloor. Then the hardboard and lino shouldn't matter.

Jeekinz

You're issue here is the added height of the new flooring and the areas at the doors and top step. If you feel comfortable with a slightly taller top step, and don't mind adjusting the door clearance, then you can install over what you have.

If you tear up the tiles and install on the original floorboards, you will need to install the new floor perpendicular to the original boards.

I'll be performing pretty much the same project on my house, but already have planned on a completely new staircase.