hardboard or ply?

[Paintguy]

Hi all,

We're having new carpets fitted and when the guy came to quote us we had a conversation about our hallway floor. It's part concrete part suspended timber / floorboards due to the house being extended many years back.

Where the two types of floor meet there is a step, with the concrete being slightly higher so we decided I should board over the floorboard section to bring the level up so we wouldn't get a ridge in the new carpets (like we had in the old ones!)

Now the "step" is only 3mm, so would hardboard suffice? It's not like it needs any strength adding as the floor is nice and solid, and I can't see there being much difference between hardboard and ply at that kind of thickness anyway, but is ply still the preferred option even though I'm only using it to add a bit of height?

The area to be boarded is around 1.2M x 1.8M and I'll be using ring shank nails as per the general advice on here.

Thanks in advance,
Andy.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Ply with screws.

Andy

 

[AronSearle]

Depends how level the existing floor is. if it is uneven, the hardboard will be more likely to "tear" around edge fixings as it is flexed, the plywood will be much stronger in this regard (assuming it's decent ply).

 

[lymmranger]

no fitter will use hardboard anymore....

Why?.....

because its terrible quality and plywood is virtually the same price!

Ply can be cut with a sharp Stanley knife and if you screw it down then it can be lifted if required for access under the floor

 

[Paintguy]

Thanks all. Looks like ply is the way to go, and to be honest that's what the carpet guy recommended too.

Trouble is finding the bloomin' stuff! Hardboard I can get in a half sheet that will cover the area in one piece for £6. For 3mm ply the only place I can find that stocks it locally is Wickes, who only do small sheets so I'd need two of them @ £16 each.

We're spending £850 on carpets so I'm not going to have them ruined for the sake of a few extra quid, but it pains me to pay Wickes inflated prices and still have to piece it up!

I'll have to shop harder....

 

[lymmranger]

think you will find 4mm ply now comes as 3.5mm....

cannot see 0.5mm making a difference

 

[Paintguy]

Yes, anything like that would do I guess. 3, 3.6, 4mm or however they want to size it.

I'm following your recommendation from another topic of mine about using a PU underlay (cloud 9 cirrus) which at 9mm ought to cope with any slight difference

 

[dazlight]

Try a local builders yard mate, ply alot cheaper there.

 

[Paintguy]

Looks like I need a trip to a builders yard anyway now.

I've taken up the last bits of carpet, around my computer desk in the dining room, and it seems someone has replaced the floorboards there with a 4' square piece of weetabix. I think at one point it was 22mm chipboard but after the constant flexing of my chair running over it, with no noggins supporting the edges, it's gone a bit flaky in places and flexes like mad. Good job I didn't get too excited when gaming or I may have gone through!

 

[lymmranger]

Looks like I need a trip to a builders yard anyway now.

I've taken up the last bits of carpet, around my computer desk in the dining room, and it seems someone has replaced the floorboards there with a 4' square piece of weetabix. I think at one point it was 22mm chipboard but after the constant flexing of my chair running over it, with no noggins supporting the edges, it's gone a bit flaky in places and flexes like mad. Good job I didn't get too excited when gaming or I may have gone through!

...so true, it was when you were gaming

 

[Paintguy]

Quick, and probably silly question:

Do I put the grippers and door plates on top of the ply or cut it up to the edge of them?

I have some longer ringshank nails that will get plenty of bite into the floorboards below even going through the ply as well, and there's definitely nothing underneath the boards to get damaged if they go through a bit either.

Thanks.

 

[crazydaze]

On top of the ply.

 

[Paintguy]

Cheers.

That's how I'd planned to do it but had an awful feeling halfway through.