Hardwood flooring on particle board subfloor?

Submitted by No-Nobody-273 t3_10q1q71 in DIY

My home has hardwoods throughout except two bedrooms. After pulling the carpet in those 2 bedrooms, There are 1/2 inch particle board subfloors. The existing hardwoods in the house appear to be laid on top of those particle board with a felt underlayment.

I planned on installing 0.75H/3.25W Bellawood oak (pre finished, tongue and groove). However, instruction say NOT to install on particleboard but it looks like the previous owners did this.

Is it safe to install directly on 0.5 inch particleboard sub floor? Should I use screws in addition to nails? See pics below of current subfloor and underlayment.

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MOS95B t1_j6niwwb wrote

(Unless the construction/formula has changed recently) You don't want particle board anywhere where you might even think water can get. Even if you manage to nail it down well enough that it doesn't eventually work loose, particle board does not handle water damage well at all. Particle board is glued together "scraps", that are them compressed. Nails don't work well in it, and it doesn't take much water for it to start to swell and crumble. And the thinner it is, the worse it is

Follow the manufacturer's recommendation, and spring for real plywood. It may cost you more now, but in the long run you'll spend a lot less

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No-Nobody-273 OP t1_j6nusai wrote

Thank you for responding.

EDIT - I pulled up the 1/2 in particle board subfloor and this was under it. Assuming I should pull up all particle board and re-lay down OSB or plywood. Would 1/2 inch plywood suffice to match height of adjacent hallway?

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MOS95B t1_j6nv4ho wrote

I personally wouldn't want particle board in any part of my flor, but...

As long as the uppermost layer of subfloor is plywood, it should be acceptable/good enough.

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deviantbono t1_j6ogq1a wrote

Is it a good idea? Probably not. Have I done it? Yes. Has it caused any problems (yet)? No.

Can you install directly on remaining sub-floor? Maybe, depends on which way the joists are running and possible height differences. Can you reinforce with additional plywood? Probably. Should you nail additional layers into joists? Debatable, but probably not.

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Sluisifer t1_j6nifvo wrote

Particle board or OSB? Pics?

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No-Nobody-273 OP t1_j6nw6j3 wrote

Sorry - not sure why this sub-thread is not allowing me to add pics? I can usually add them but no option for some weird reason.

But I pulled up some of the particleboard and there is no subfloor under it. It is old school floor boards (~9 in wide) that run perpendicular to the joists. So looks like I should put down a new reliable subfloor.

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villagewinery t1_j6neoet wrote

Nails will not hold in particle board. What part of that don't you understand. You have a house full of loose floorboards probably.

The flooring should be easy to pull up in those two rooms and replace with plywood.

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No-Nobody-273 OP t1_j6nwi5r wrote

>Sorry - not sure why this sub-thread is not allowing me to add pics? I can usually add them but no option for some weird reason.
>
>But I pulled up some of the particleboard and there is no subfloor under it. It is old school floor boards (~9 in wide) that run perpendicular to the joists. So looks like I should put down a new reliable subfloor. Thanks for helping me make the right decision.

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