Does anyone have hardwood with no subfloor?

[JHZR2]

Hi,

my house is 70-80 years old. It has original hardwood tongue and groove floors.

The problem is that they have no subfloor. Its just floor attached to the joists.

THis was common at different points in time apparently - there are a lot of posts in usenet regarding this exact situation.

That said, there isnt much good information regarding dealing with it. I plan to sure up some joists, and add crossmembers to ensure rigidity, and also inrease "contact points" and put plywood underneath of the floor directly where there are heavy items (radiators, etc).

I dont want to put new stuff over the old floor... I want to try to sure it up, if its necessary. I know the floor sags a bit under the big radiator's feet. I will sure that up definitely.

But does anyone else have ahome that is hardwood with no subfloor? My parents weekend house has thick plywood under the hardwood, and their real house (about the same age as my house) has diagonal tongue and groove under the hardwood.

I guess I got a cheaper made house... Oh well, its all good if I get some hints on how to reinforce the floor directly

Here is a good example of the floor, and you can see it bowing down slightly under the weight of the radiator:

Any suggestions? Thanks!

JMH

 

[eljefino]

Can you feel it if someone is walking on the other side of the room? That is, if they are on seperate joists?

If so, your joists have an adequate, conservative span and you should focus on the flooring. You might be able to carefully pry your old stuff off, sand it, restain it, and put it back down on top of plywood.

My living room has 2x6 joists spanning 10 or 12 feet and the whole room is, well, bouncy.

It'd get fixed but the fusebox is below and that's a nightmare I'm putting off.

You are lucky if you don't have tons of wires running through yours in your basement.

There is a neat composite plywood material called "par-a-lam" that spans more distance with less sag. You could also rip some 1/2" plywood into 6" widths and spike that to the face of your current joists.

 

[Amkeer]

Its fine. Its not the way things are done today, but the house has been standing for 80 years. Leave it alone or you will create problems for yourself. Enjoy the home and stop worrying about things.

 

[Shannow]

Yep,
same arrangemtn in my house.

flexible floors, tiles, and three year olds don't mix

 

[JHZR2]

No bounce, fortunately... However a few of the floor planks feel like they flex under weight - and I can see them bent under the radiator, thus my concerns.

I appreciate the insight!

Thanks all!

JMH

 

[Dark Jedi]

I have a house built in 1912 and have the same flooring. its not because its cheap. like said before its the way its done. I bet your house is built better than most of these modern houses (was plywood even around back then?)built today. you also have to remember modern hard wood floors are thin laminate boards. if you look at how thick your hardwood floor plank is compared to todays flooring put in regular housing its like a 100 times thicker. so thats why they use plywood.

remember back then carpenters and so on too pride in their work. if they did shotty work. they didnt work no more. now its how many short cuts can I take and make a quick buck. my grandfather was a master finishing carpenter. my dad was also a finish carpenter ( my dad never taught me why I dont know

) but to see them work was amazing. if something didnt look right they tore it back down and re did it. and they was shocked how most of these contractors cut corners.

your floor could be stronger than most modern houses. I have the creaks and some bows but those can be replaced easy. and most times jsut have to add a few finishing nails to shore up the creaks. also a house continues to settle. you can safely say your house is basically settled and not everything will be plum and have uneven spots.

where your ratiator is. have you had any water leaks in it to weaken the flooring. you might just have to replace those boards and not worry about plywood. you might just need to remove the ratiator and if the bow is still there. you have to jack that spot up and put some 2x4 or 2x6 planks under the area and nail it to your joists. this will be alot stronger than just plywood and cheaper too. then install your ratiator and be done with it.

I have heard for creaks to take baby powder and place it in the seems where the creaks are. it acts as a dry lubricant and is a temp fix.

quote:

---

their real house (about the same age as my house) has diagonal tongue and groove under the hardwood.

---

ok this can be miss leading. this tounge and groove flooring could of been the original flooring and later on over time someone could of put hardwood flooring to make it look better in the house.

 

[JHZR2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dark Jedi:
ok this can be miss leading. this tounge and groove flooring could of been the original flooring and later on over time someone could of put hardwood flooring to make it look better in the house.

---

Thanks for all the info!

In my parents house, this was how it was done... The house was in the family since a year after it was built, and my grandfather grew up in it (he knew the hole in the foundation was for a coal hot water heater)... and remembers a lot of details form the years he lived there... FWIW.

Thanks!

JMH

 

[ScottB]

Yep, my 1906 has hardwood with no subfloor.
99% of it is great, only a few soft spots in the house.

Scott

 

[mechtech]

Homes with no subfloors used to have much better timber for the flooring.
I'd simply fix your localized problem area, though. It should be easy to reinforce the area from underneath for a few dollars.
Just jack up the supporting wood into place to straighten things out, and secure it to the old joists.