i recently installed 3 1/4 solid hardwood, i let it acclimate for 1 week,I have it all installed question is when i walk on it the floor makes a cracking sound and when walked on for a little bit it goes away, this is a second floor room it has 3/4 T&G subfloor and 7/16 ply wood over the orignal subfloor and i used 15# felt ontop of the floor any help would be appreacitaed

 

Your subfloor sounds like it's not flat and there are voids under the planks. If this is hte case, the floor has a higher chance at failing.

Are the planks bowed?

 

no the subfloors is pretty flat i had one small area where the floor diped but i shimed the planks, the planks sat flat on the floor when we installed them, it seams only when the crackle is when it gets warm up there i am in the process of installing a seprate ac for the upstair hopeing when i control the temp that it will help i have walked in alot of my hvac customers homes that have hardwoods and they dont do this i was just hopeing it would go away, i quess i will just have to deal with it unless it has something to do with the tar paper that i put down for a barrier

 

Wood floors do not need to be "broken in", so if the noise goes away, it means the planks have worn down. You did leave the required expansion gap along all the walls?

 

yes i left 3/4 inch gap all around, just looks like i am going to have to deal with the noise my hardwood floors that were installed in 1939 make noise thanks for your help

 

How far apart are your fasteners?

3¼ Is actually considered a plank from the manufacturer, but is sold by retailers as a strip, which makes installation by a DIY'er as a fasten down, misinformed.

Planks flooring should be fastened every 6-8" and 2" back from each end, no closer or it has a good chance of splitting after the installation.

 

Subcooled...I feel your pain. I have the exact same problem with a 3 1/2" prefinished hardwood floor I had installed last year. I don't know the condition of the subfloor or how it was installed because I had a professional do it. The strange thing is most of the time the floor does not make a sound at all when walked upon. However, if we open up the curtains on the sliding glass door and allow the sun to warm up the floor it will make some cracking sounds that are not just under the plank you are walking on but the sound kinda spreads to adjacent boards for what sounds like quite a few feet. But just like you said...once you walk across the floor once or twice it is then quite for the next hour or so. I don't mind the noise as long as it doesn't get any louder than what it currently is.

I DIY installed a kahrs eng floor in a couple rooms last year in this same house and those floors are quite as a church mouse...of course, I literally spent months getting the subfloors as flat as possible so I know the kahrs is sitting on a solid and flat base.