18mm lflooring directly on to joists? advice please

[CharlieB1981]

hi,

have lots of damaged floor boards in a 1st floor bedroom that need replacing, while i'm doing it i'm wondering about laying a solid oak floor instead of pine.

the room is above the kitchen which has several fire rated downlighters, the joists are approx 350mm centres and about 200mm deep.

read a couple of conflicting posts on here with some saying you shouldnt do it and others saying its ok.

what would be the right way to lay this, ie layer of ply underneath, underlay on ply or underneath, assume it would need screwing also.

 

[pinenot]

Forget all the conflicting posts, and go for what suits your circumstances.

Are your joists (after removal of old floorboards) reasonably straight and parallel to each other? If not - affix ply to smooth this out, underlay to separate then your hardwood flooring.
Use thin propriety screws or fixings (manufacturers recommendation) if using, remembering to mark the joists on the plywood
Alternatively, and this would only apply if you have sufficient head room, leave the existing floor in place, repaired as necessary, sanded down with a floor sander, underlay hardwood at either right angles or diagonal to ex flooring, something different if nothing else ...pinenot