Secret nailing solid wood on chipboard

[ema_xp2004]

Hi

I’m thinking of laying some solid IPE: Length 760mm, Width 92mm, Thickness 18mm and prefinished.

The room are 5X4 square meters and there’s a hallway 5X1 square meters.

I have lifted the carpet and there is chipboard underneath. The boards are quite uneven.

I would like to secret nail the solid wood.

Am I correct in thinking that I would need to screw down ply on the chipboard first (5.3mm) ?

And I can then secret nail the wood to the ply and there is no need to use an underlay?

Thank you in advanced

 

[WoodYouLike]

If your mind's made up on nailing then yes definitely put plywood down first - chipboard is a definite no no in regards of nailing wood floors straight onto it: it'll 'explode' where the nail hits it.

An other option would be to fully bond the wood floor directly to the made even chipboard using a notched trowel and flexible parquet adhesive: less hassle and less extra material.

 

[ema_xp2004]

Hi WoodYouLike, thank you for your reply

What would be the best way to level/even the chipboard given that most of the boards have curved downwards in centre (looks a bit like rolling hills of Wales)


And would parquet adhesive bond well to chipboard?

 

[WoodYouLike]

I think you better check underneath the chipboard first (guess they are installed on joists?) to see if it's all sound there. Perhaps you need to remove the chipboard to make it safer?
If that's the case (of which I'm not sure, just a hunch) you're better of replacing it with 18mm plywood

 

[ema_xp2004]

The chipboard (18mm) is on polystyrene (30mm) which is then on concrete (ground floor).

I thought if I use a belt sander to make the floor even as possible then screw down 5.5 mm of ply.

And then secret nail or now even glue

 

[WoodYouLike]

Still think you should check underneath the chipboard, the polystryne could have 'shrunk' which means whatever you install ontop of it could dip again.

 

[mattysupra]

you have a floating subfloor by the sound of things, You cant nail or glue to this subfloor with a solid. You will have to lay floating over the top with a elastilon underlay or similar.
Seems a bit strange you have dips in the floor tho. Are they concave dips between the joints or are the boards flat but trying to make sort of a bridge effect at the joints? Two joints facing up and the next 2 two pointing down? Does that make sense? Is there movement up and down when you walk on them?

 

[ema_xp2004]

Hi

Yes the chipboard floor is floating (on polystyrene 30mm) there are no joist underneath.

The boards warp upwards where they join (on the tongue and groove) and dip in the middle