my sister in law has asked me to remove the current tile flooring in her apartment and put a hardwood floor instead. some of the tiles are cracked or pulled back or have holes and i can see that the wood sub floor also has holes but still looks sturdy...in my opinion i believe i should remove the tiles along with the sub floor but my mother in law says to remove only the tile flooring and leave the wood sub floor as is. What do you all think? and btw this is my second time doing a flooring project, though its my first with this kind, any tips? &&the hardwood sub floor is nailed down if that means anything.
You'll need to remove the tiles and any backer board that's fastened down to the sub-floor. From that point, follow the instructions for the specific type of hardwood flooring you plan to install. Most will probably recommend an underlayment, which is typically 3/8 to 1/2 plywood or particle board, to provide a smooth, level surface for the flooring to lay on top of. The actual sub-floor is often rough and may have slight mismatches height-wise from one spot to another, and those can produce visible discontinuities (bumps, ridges, depressions, etc) on the finished floor.
without knowing what you mean by the wood sub floor also has holes it is hard to give good advice but if you feel it is still sturdy maybe you don't need to replace it. shouldn't make much of a difference regardless of what kind of hardwood floor you are putting down - nailed in place or floating
hello, we are a professional decking and hardwood flooring supplier, this is what you need to do: In order to install your flooring, first you need to have an equal subfloor or also called underfloor. These are almost always 4' x 8' plywood or boards fixed with screws to its underfloor. On top of the plywood you can now nail or glue your hardwood flooring pieces. The plywood underflooring is make everything even and also good for insulation.
Remove all the tile and grout to expose the surface underneath. Look at the condition and determine whether it is in good enough condition to overlay with hardwood flooring. There is a difference between the subfloor and underlayment. You could be seeing the underlayment, not the subfloor. The subfloor consists of thick boards, maybe tongue and groove, or 1 or 3/4 plywood, which is nailed (or screwed) to the floor joists below. The subfloor supports the weight of you, your furniture, appliances, and whatever is put on the floor. Underlayment is a buildup of typically 1/8 to 1/2 plywood (preferred), OSB, MDF (unsuitable), cement board , or Hardibacker board (both for use with tile in wet areas) laid over and attached to the subfloor and joists. The underlayment smooths out any irregularities in the subfloor so your final flooring will be even. It also adjusts your finished floor height to the proper level, depending on the thickness of your underlayment. If the underlayment is in good condition and will bring your flooring to the correct height so you can open doors and transition into other rooms evenly, then use what is there. Otherwise, rip up the old underlayment and install the correct type and thickness for your flooring. Also, between your flooring and the underlayment you will want to use a moisture barrier. This can be felt paper or other suitable materials and systems. Talk with the people at your local flooring and tile store for their recommendations.
