Guidelines/specs for installing hardwood floor please?

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rokosz

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Took up carpet laid over carpetfoam over plywood (no underlay)

Carpet is probably in the 20-30 year range. subfloor is fine though I noticed the tack boards for the carpet tended to be pretty well stained/mildewed -- and a few were decrepit.
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There's a sometimes conditioned space (heat only and not all winter (zone6)) below the room. The joists may or may not be insulated -- fi they ever were it was batt and certainly some of that got flattened by critters and some nasty icedam flows in very recent years.

would that kind of space, in close proximity to the tack boards contribute to "decline" of the tackboards?

Vapor/Underlayment recs seem to be roofing felt equivalent -- would a heavy gauge 6? 8 mil? heavier? plastic sheet suffice or be better?

The vids I've seen talk about face nailing the first courses until you can get the blind nailer in place. What about old-school? Can't you manually blind nail in the tongue? -- or maybe at least starting at the 2nd course (with the first course securely in place via drill/finish nails). Face nailing does seem less error prone for the first course (from a f#%# &p avoidance perspective).

Are Finish nails are correct for face nailing? What length for 3/4" hardwood? I've got a box of 2" brights. Had 'em for years can't believe I've actually got potential use for them now (esp since my nailer isn't available right now (grrrrr)). I don't suppose 1 1/4" brads would work woudl they?


thanks!
 
Your 2" will be fine, as the wall side will be covered by molding, put face nails where they will be hidden and make sure the board does not move when you toe nail the tongue.
You may want to pre drill for the nails so you are not splitting any wood.

Impossible to know what would cause the tack strip to mold, just guesses at best, carpet cleaning with water, condensation from the wall, water leaks from the outside or windows
 
Hi Nealtw thanks for the reply and the confirms .

yes, the most decreipt tack boards were in a closet backing to another interior wall -- but one side of the closet has (what I call) an escape hatch to a unconditioned crawl space -- and the hatch itself is not very air tight -- I could see, over decades, that environment causing abuse.

I'm not quite sure (aside from the earlier disc. re: the uncond space below the working-in room) why an underlayment is needed. Should underlyament be impermeable or can it breathe? I ask because...

I found a roll of Barricade Building wrap. previous owner left it. They still exist: http://www.barricadebp.com/products/house-wrap/. I presume this is a Tyvek compeitior It definitely has more of a "mesh" feel to it than Tyvek (but its been 6-8 years since I had my hands on Tyvek wrap.

thanks folks!
 
That is house wrap, which stops water but not moist air. so moisture coming from below would pass and water spilled from above could not pass, no winning there.
If you have a leaky hatch to a crawlspace, the crawlspace is cooler so it will draw air from the house and house air is moist so it would not be hard to believe condensation could happen around the hatch.

What does the manufacturer say about anything under the hard wood. Anything other than their instruction would void a warranty.
 
I did a room at my old house that was 16x14 and hand nailed it all. Drill , nail and nail set. I didn’t have a floor nailer and just started working on it at night a few strips at a time part time took about a week to do but wasn’t in a hurry. I think I used 2” nails. Still looks good after 25 years.

The really crazy part was I stained and varnished them all outside first and stacked them on drying racks I made by putting a nail in every inch down an 8’ 2x4 leaning against the garage.
 

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