floating engineered wood on particleboard & brands


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Old 09-27-09, 10:45 PM
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floating engineered wood on particleboard & brands

Hi Everybody,
This is truly a great resource, I've learned a lot by reading the threads here. Hope you can help me avoid making expensive mistakes.
I'm in the process of choosing between a solid hardwood and engineered floating (click-lock) floors and am leaning toward the latter because the subfloor in my 24-yr old house is mostly particle board (PB, over plywood on 10-in trusses, 16 in apart). Currently have carpet throughout. I've learned from the forum here that one should not nail anything into PB, but what about floating on it? Is it also true that the floor would not require a moisture barrier? I would replace the PB with plywood if i ended up choosing a solid wood floor, but am not keen on the extra work & cost.

Second, having read several cautioning posts about some common (cheaper?) brands, I wonder if anybody has experience with or thoughts about the brands I'm considering. A friend pointed me to Builddirect.com and the specific brands I am looking at are Yanchi, Jasper and Beauchene. I've requested samples of everything that caught my eye and will subject them to scratch tests etc, but any information about color-fastness and long-term durability would be most appreciated. Thank you much in advance!
 
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Old 09-28-09, 03:30 AM
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Welcome to the forums! Are you sure it is PB or is it OSB? If the latter, you can attach your hardwoods directly to it. As far as the wood brands you mention, what are their warranties, and who stands behind them? I've never used any of them and can't comment good or bad.
 
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Old 09-28-09, 06:37 AM
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Chandler,
Yes, it is PB, and pulling the carpeting staples out from it shows clearly that this material would not hold nails well. The products that i am considering have 25-35 year warranty for finish in residential setting, and either 5-yr, 10-yr or unspecified warranty for commercial setting. Structural warranty is mostly lifetime. I assume the warranties would be backed by the manufacturer, not the store.
 
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Old 09-28-09, 05:15 PM
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You're right, the warranties are by the manufacturer....but who are the manufacturers? Have you ever heard of them before? Just throwing that out.
PB won't take flooring staples/nails and hold well. I hate to say it, but it should go and opt for Advantech or other subflooring material. good luck.
 
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Old 09-28-09, 07:26 PM
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Chandler, are you saying that floating over PB is a bad idea?
 
 

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