How To Install Hardwood Floors Over Particle Board

Last year we installed solid oak hardwood floor in our main bedroom and family room.

How to install hardwood floors over particle board.

To our dismay when we ripped up the old carpet we found that the whole subfloor was covered with particle board. The particle board does not run under the walls. When to add plywood if you re stapling laminate flooring around the edges of the room you should be. Once you have insured the particle is in good condition you are able to install any floating type flooring engineered hardwood strand woven bamboo or eucalyptus laminate or cork over the particle board.

Using a standard nail gun to install the floor was out of the question particle board isn t structurally sound enough to bite nails. The sub floor should be even and there should not be any major cracks or deterioration. Hardwood flooring that is fastened by any method whether it be mechanical fasteners or glue should not go over particle board. There are several issues with this subfloor.

The reason you can only float a floor over particle board is because nails won t hold in the particle board and glue will ruin the particle board. A floating install is the only way to go over it and i don t know of any 3 4 solid on the market that you can float. I want a quality product just have read heard different opinions on installing hardwood over particle board. The floors are creaky and warped in places and i ve been strongly advised not to install hardwood floors over particle board as they cannot hold nails and will deteriorate if water is spilled.

It is particle board and not osb. I am considering kahrs and wfi. We also go over questions regarding particle board and installing new hardwood flooring over old wood flooring. Re secure any loose wood subfloor planks osb or plywood subfloors to the floor joists using 2 1 2 deck screws.

We want to install either laminate or hardwood flooring throughout most of our home. I pulled up all the carpet and found 3 4 particle board over 1 2 plywood board subfloor underneath the carpet. That option is floating a floor over top of the subfloor. Also most flooring stores in hot springs ar carry harris tarkett longstrip but haven t found any that carry kahrs wfi.

So am considering harris tarkett also. This makes installing other flooring such as hardwood difficult over a particleboard floor. Most people use nails or hardwood staples to attach hardwood flooring to the subfloor but this is only an option if the subfloor is made of plywood. To clarify this is not osb and this is not just a particle board overlay over plywood the entire subfloor is 3 4 particle board looks like oatmeal.

The home is about 35 years old.