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Expert: - 7/30/2007


Question
I am about to have hardwood floors installed in my home. It now has 1/2" plywood on the bottom and 5/8" particle board on top. Everyone contractor has told me to remove the particle board and install the hardwood on top of the 1/2" plywood. Will my floor be strong enough to hold all the furniture in the house? I'm installing 3/4" oak hardwood. Should I consider putting down another layer of 1/2" plywood before installing the hardwood?

Answer
Tommie - thanks for your question!

The extra layer of subflooring is overkill; assuming your floor joists are properly spaced, 1/2" plywood is fine.  The oak flooring will distribute the weight quite well, you won't have any problems with typical furniture.

The additional 5/8" in height is probably causing problems with matching the floor with others in the house, so there's no advantage I see with keeping it.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com

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Richard Taylor, AIA

Expertise

Ask me about all aspects of house, remodeling. , and room addition design and construction. Ask me about historic homes, renovation, and restoration. Ask me about materials and techniques, and about how you can get the best value for your design and construction dollar. Ask me how you can make your home a very special place. I can't, however, answer specific structural engineering questions in this forum - that's something you'll need on-site observation for.

Experience

I own a full-service residential architectural firm, and have been designing custom homes, remodelings, and room additions across the country since 1983. Check us out at Richard Taylor Architects and RTA Plans. I have written and been published extensively on the subject of residential architecture.

Organizations
American Institute of Architects, City of Dublin Architectural Review Board, Vice Chair of City of Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission, American Planning Association, Board Member Historic Dublin Business Association, Past Editor of SPLASH (a software forum), Past Editor of Open Directory Project, Assistant Scoutmaster, Boy Scouts of America

Publications
Business First of Columbus, Suburban New Publications, About.com, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch Residential Architect Custom Home Architect Remodeling Architect

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture) Miami University 1983
For more about home design, check out my blog at Sense Of Place and join the conversation on our Facebook Page.

Awards and Honors
2010 Dublin Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year

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