I’m ready to install 3/4″ mostly quartersaw oak (4 widths between 2″ & 5″) in a room that is 15′ x 30′. The floor joists run parallel to the 30′ side and the floor is 2×10 on 16″ centers, 3/4″ Advantech subfloor, with open-cell sprayed foam insulation filling the cavities. The floor is resting on steel I-beams (12′ on center) and is open below on 3 sides with 2′ to 5′ clearance to the ground and metal roofing covering the foam on the bottom of the joists.
So… the visually logical orientation for the flooring is parallel to the long wall.
However, the structurally logical orientation is at right angles to the floor joists.
My question is: How important is it to lay the floor at right angles to the joists?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Walt
Replies
Walt
no problem to install to any orientation, your subfloor will hold just fine.
make sure the moisture content of the sub and flooring is a couple % close to the same. Stickered and stacked to acclimate, but MC is the important part.
i'd lay rosin paper or felt paper as a slip sheet between the two.
staples or cleat nail in an air assist flooring nailer.
what crawl?
OP said three sides open with 2-5 feet of clearance to the ground. Sounds like pier rather than crawl space construction to me. If so, then (IMO) the metal barrier (which serves also as a vapor barrier) pretty much negates any advantage of installing visqueen on the ground.
Who mentioned visqueen on the ground, numbnuts? I think you should consult an engineer before you post.
I did
MIssion accomplished. Thanks for recognizing it.
well cussnu2, it looks like genius here is admitting he even needs help from an engineer to lay down some plastic.
Make sure the moisture content of the sub and flooring is a couple % close to the same. Stickered and stacked to acclimate, but MC is the important part.
I'm a bit confused by this thread -- I've always figured that the orientation of almost all hardwood flooring was "straight".