[Huggins90]

Hey! Glad to be a part of DIYChatroom. Look forward to hearing all of your expertise on my many, many questions I will be having in the next few months. My wife and I are a few months in on a 1930's house strip to the studs remodel. One question I have is how to lay the new hardwood floors we want to put in. (we are a ways from that, just finished demolition.) The home has original 3/4 in. wood run at a 45 to floor joists for the subfloor, then 2 1/2 in. wide pine flooring over the top. The floors are beyond refinishing and we want to start fresh. My original plan was to run solid oak over the top of the existing, install with staples. After some reading on forums like this I decided it best to glue and screw 3/8 plywood first, then builder's paper, then staple down the new. Is this a good option? The argument I have heard against it is the headache of cutting doorjambs and even door height, transitions, etc... but since everything will be new, (new prehungs, new tile in bathrooms, etc...) is this a better option. I am installing new throughout the whole house minus two bathrooms. 1600 sq. ft. Don't really want to pull up that much old flooring if this other option will still create a quality floor. However, that will add an additional 1 1/2 inches on exterior doors... any thoughts on what you would do would be appreciated. Thanks and happy to be a part of the forum!

 

[Seattle2k]

If you want to start fresh, then pull up the old floor. I vote for pulling up the old floor. A few crowbars and a day, you'll have the old floor out. You might even be able to find a salvage company to come pull it out for you.

 

[Awoodfloorguy]

The best way to do it would be to remove the old flooring, screw down the subfloor really well and then lay the new floor. However, you can easily go over what is there. You would just want to screw the old flooring down really well and try to get screws into the floor joists. This can help avoid a squeaky floor. Hope this helps.

 

[joecaption]

I agree 100%. With a floor built up that high it's going to effect everything else in the house.
Baseboards, other floors heights, door way casing ECT.

This is what I use when pulling out old flooring.
http://charlesandhudson.com/the_gutster_demolition_tool/

I found it at Northern Tools.

 

[ToolSeeker]

Since it was probably nailed down it should come out pretty easy and another thing if you are careful taking them out you can probably resell then. What is now the bottom should clean up pretty well. And wide pine planks aren't easy to find.

 

[Huggins90]

So if I pull up the old, should i lay plywood down over the old sub floor for a more uniform surface? I'm sure the old sub floor has gaps and other minor damage. or should I just patch the bad rotted spots with the same thickness plywood and screw it all down then go over it with the new? I like the idea of a new surface to be the sub floor but this may be unnecessary cost and time spent...?? Any thoughts? Thanks for the input so far.

 

[ToolSeeker]

I think a lot of that will depend on what you find when you get there.