Ply over floorboard

[Dylan123]

Hi.

If screwing ply over a floorboards, should you screw through the ply and floorboards into the joists, or just into the boards.

I would assume into the joist to pin it all together but I’ve read that you just attach to the board to create something called “slip” (whatever that is!)

I think a lot use nails but I want to do belt and braces and don’t want to risk any squeaks or movement.

Thanks

 

[Mottie]

I just screwed mine to the floorboards. Probably went overboard though ('scuse pun) by putting the screws 8” apart!

 

[Deleted member 174758]

We always just screw to the existing boards. If you think about it, if a screw is long enough to pierce the board and go into a joist, then should you miss the joist it may be long enough to skewer a pipe (ooh look, daddy, a fountain... or worse, kaboom!) or a live power cable. Enjoy!

Screws are preferable to nails, IMHO. For finish flooring you aim for 100 to 150mm screw centres

 

[Dylan123]

We always just screw to the existing boards. If you think about it, if a screw is long enough to pierce the board and go into a joist, then should you miss the joist it may be long enough to skewer a pipe (ooh look, daddy, a fountain... or worse, kaboom!) or a live power cable. Enjoy!

Screws are preferable to nails, IMHO. For finish flooring you aim for 100 to 150mm screw centres

What’s finish flooring, is this laminate?

100mm centres gonna take forever!

Is this 100mm round the edges only? None in the middle?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Sorry I meant vinyl roll or plank, line, etc which is thin and will telegraph imperfections in the floor readily

With laminate flooring I'd go for 150mm centres across all of the sheets in both directions (so 150 to 200 screws per 8 x 4ft sheet). Screwing things down around the edges alone will just risk the whole plot lifting or moving in the middle of the sheets

Being a tradesman can sometimes be hard graft...

 

[Dylan123]

Sorry I meant vinyl roll or plank, line, etc which is thin and will telegraph imperfections in the floor readily

With laminate flooring I'd go for 150mm centres across all of the sheets in both directions (so 150 to 200 screws per 8 x 4ft sheet). Screwing things down around the edges alone will just risk the whole plot lifting or moving in the middle of the sheets

Being a tradesman can sometimes be hard graft...

jesus, that’s 2550 screws for my ground floor.

Countersinking, pilot and screw so 3 actions so that’s 7650 drillings.

this is going to take about 4 weeks surely !

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Buy yourself a Trend Snappy drill/countersink if you need to, but if you use flooring screws and drive them at the right speed you shouldn't need to pre-pilot

I don't know how many screws I drove, but on a shop fit-out 3 or 4 years back I laid 10,000 square feet of 18mm ply sub floor screwed at 150mm centres...
...and it's damned hard work

 

[Diver Fred]

Staples.

Local carpet fitters when laying ply floor in prep for laying Vinyl staple the ply down. For 5mm ply they use 18mm staples. Aim for 6inch (150mm) centers. Screw heads will eventually show through.

 

[Dylan123]

Staples.

Local carpet fitters when laying ply floor in prep for laying Vinyl staple the ply down. For 5mm ply they use 18mm staples. Aim for 6inch (150mm) centers. Screw heads will eventually show through.

will staples definitely hold it down? I want this to last a decade at least.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Screw heads will eventually show through.

Properly sunk they won't, especially if you add underlayment or a thin skim of SLC

 

[dazlight]

We use ring nails. Every 4” perimeter and 6” centres in the middle