Replacing subfloor boards, which wood?

pieroabcd

Hi,
in order to prepare my subfloor for the new floor coverings I'm trying to level it competely to prevent gaps between the boards (that could make the coverings crack in the long run).
Some boards didn't rest entirely on the joists: especially in the bed areas or where the previous owners added eletric sockets one of the extremities was just hanging in the air, so walking ther could make them break.
In some cases it was very easy to just use longer boards and screw them to the joist, while in other cases I had to create  a kind of balcony screwed to the adjacent joist to support the board.

The original boards are made of pinewood, old, lightweight and apparently sturdy. The replacement boards that  I'm using are what B&Q calls lumber: 18mm thick and made of spruce (or fir, I'm not an expert).
I'm wondering if they are as resistant as the pinewood one, I've never used them before.
I would have chosen pinewood, but I simply can't find it anywhere.

Do you have any experience with those "lumber" boards? Are they resistant in the long term?

Thanks

FreeBear

pieroabcd said: Do you have any experience with those "lumber" boards? Are they resistant in the long term?

I've had timber from B&Q in the past - Both constructional 3x2 and skirting (plus some picture rail). Without fail, every piece has cupped, twisted, or bowed. For some jobs, this doesn't matter too much, but the wider bits like skirting ended up being consigned to the fire. Unless I'm pressed for time, I now source my timber from other suppliers and just get sheet material such as MDF & ply from B&Q when I have to.

If you get boards that don't cup or twist within a few days, they should last a lot longer than you.

pieroabcd

 fingers crossed then

grumbler

In modern houses they use big tong&grove chipboard instead of timber boards.

Not that personally I like this.

pieroabcd

In my house there's a bit of everything.
When they added the hearing system the replaced the original boards with large patches of ISB, plywood and even MDF 
My subfloor is a real Frankenstein 

Also, under the boards there are literally dozens of kg of rubbles (that I'm removing), old unused water pipes and even light switches with a sticker reading "light switch".

I can't imagine a more shoddy work than this 

Gavin83

Our subfloors are ply. They feel solid, don’t squeak and generally feel superior to chipboard flooring I’ve seen. Were I to build a house ply would be my choice again.

35har1old

pieroabcd said:

Hi,
in order to prepare my subfloor for the new floor coverings I'm trying to level it competely to prevent gaps between the boards (that could make the coverings crack in the long run).
Some boards didn't rest entirely on the joists: especially in the bed areas or where the previous owners added eletric sockets one of the extremities was just hanging in the air, so walking ther could make them break.
In some cases it was very easy to just use longer boards and screw them to the joist, while in other cases I had to create  a kind of balcony screwed to the adjacent joist to support the board.

The original boards are made of pinewood, old, lightweight and apparently sturdy. The replacement boards that  I'm using are what B&Q calls lumber: 18mm thick and made of spruce (or fir, I'm not an expert).
I'm wondering if they are as resistant as the pinewood one, I've never used them before.
I would have chosen pinewood, but I simply can't find it anywhere.

Do you have any experience with those "lumber" boards? Are they resistant in the long term?

Thanks

What type of floor covering are you planning to use?

pieroabcd

Engineered hardwood (base of plywood with a 3mm lacquered veneer of oak)

ThisIsWeird

Are you planning to completely replace the old T&G boards? If so, I'm pretty sure you'll be better off using flooring sheets rather than further T&G boards.

18mm - or 22mm if you really want solid and unmoveable - would be the easiest, screwed down and glued T&Gs. Worth trying a straight edge along the joists first to see if any are sitting low - if so, cut some timber strips/filler to make up the difference. Also run a bean of expanding foam around the perimeter between the boards and the wall to draughtproof them.

Your new Eng flooring will be very happy.

If you are only planning to replace the damaged T&G boards and keep most, then any lumber/pine/spruce/fir - all basically the same - will do. The important bit will be to match the thickness. Again, any dips, add packers between it and the joists. Screw down firmly - you don't want hidden 'creaks'.

pieroabcd

I'll replace only the broken ones.
In my case there's no tongye and groove: they are all just plain boards screwed or nailed to the joists (very firmly).
Keeping everything at level is a real challenge. I'll have to plane a couple of the boards because the joist that they rest on il 2-3 mm taller than the adjacent joists.

ThisIsWeird

Sounds like a 'mare :-(