Installing new wood floors over existing wood floors

10 years ago

We are remodeling a 1926 San Francisco Condominium in a building with 27 other units. The wood floors are shot. They are 3/8 inch thick 2 inch wide oak strips that don't have a subfloor directly underneath. I'm not sure how to explain the thin strips of wood and joists that they were nailed to - but this all sits on top of the sub floor and in between it is filled with mortar dust and horse hair. We have also determined that the condo unit beneath us has their electrical running on top of our sub floor and laying in the morter dust. Our contractor recommended that we do not disturb the under-mess and instead just lay a new floor on top of this. We are planning to lay a 1/2 inch thick new plywood subfloor over the old floor and then lay an unfinished 3/4 inch thick 3 inch wide white oak t&g floor on top of this. Will this work?

Comments (4)

jackfre
10 years ago
Yes, it should, as long as the base is solid. The new plywood underlayment should provide adequate support. We just had new oak floors put down at our place in the foothills. Beautiful 2 1/4" white oak. The guy who did them is excellent. He works in the Bay Area too, if you need a good installer.
User
10 years ago
And what happens if a nail/cleat/staple penetrates the electrical wiring?
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User
10 years ago
Get an electrician in there to examine the wires and possibly move them. It's NOT a good setup for either the person below you or for you. Installing a wooden floor over that sounds like a fire hazard.
KelinMD
10 years ago
I was thinking fire hazard as well. That doesn't really sound like it is up to current code either. I think the floor part of the problem is fineÃ¢ÂÂ¦you can lay another floor over it. But at this point with the wires etc. under there I would look at a floating click-installation wood floor. I would not be driving nails into a nest of electrical wires.