hardwood flooring question

My “honey-do” list just took on a big item this weekend—installing hardwood flooring in the dining and living rooms. It’s needed though as a dog and two small kids have wreaked havoc on the carpet.

I have a question about the subflooring. The house has 3/4″ OSB that is in really good shape (only 4 years old), but would you recommend that I also put down plywood as well? Some DIY guides say OSB is fine, while others say do the plywood subflooring as well.

FYI–the flooring product I’m using is 5/8″ bamboo.

Thanks,

Curt

i do hardwood for a living,and the osb should be fine as long as you install across the floor joists,be carefull with the bamboo,it looks good out of the box,but is a softer wood and dents/scratches easy,if you have further questions,call me at 763-245-7753 tom bauer carpentry and flooring

Is bamboo flooring a good choice?
Sept 2006
I am tearing out the carpet and would like to intall hardwood floor. I have heard about bamboo flooring but do not know anyone who have it at home so would like to get some opinion and where to get good buy and services. Wen

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We chose bamboo because we read that it was as hard as other woods, and because its look and environmental goodness. We regret it. We find that it dents and scratches easily. Part of the problem may be that we got the lighter colored bamboo (which is also not good for us because we are not super clean). Also, the color is uneven between batches (make sure your installers mix it well), and exposure to sun through the windows changes the color markedly (Where we have had rugs and where furniture has been positioned is obvious). Best of luck Dan

I installed this in our childs bedroom last fall. Looks great and we love it. It is alittle softer than hardwood but scratches and dents give it character. If ya don’t like dents and scratches I would go another route.

I own a hardwood flooring company (Voyageur Flooring). So maybe I can be of some help. One thing that you will need to do, make sure that your floor joist are 16 inches on center. They generally are but ever once and while I’ll see them at 24inches. If they are 24, you might consider laying some plywood over your existing subfloor.
If you have any questions about installation or anything else shoot me a PM.

Good luck hope all goes well.

Ben and Tom,

Thanks for the quick responses on my question. My joists are 16″ OC so I’m forgoing the additional subflooring. I’m running perpendicular to the joists, so I should be OK.

Tom, thanks for the few minutes on the phone this morning.

If any of you in the TC area need a good carpentry or hardwood guy, Tom Bauer seems like a good man to work with.

Off to get this project done so I can get back out on the water!

Thanks,

Curt