Another flooring question

[GA Navigator]

I'm replacing the carpet with 3/8 engineered wood flooring. Ii want to leave the existing tile in the bathroom. After removing the carpet and padding from the bedroom, I found that the tile sits about 3/4 inch above the subfloor.
I would prefer to have the finished floor heights the same instead of using a height transition piece so my question is, can I screw down some 3/8 plywood to the subfloor then glue the flooring strips to it to get the finished height even with the tile?
Thanks.



1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060

[super_rep]

Why not take the tile up and use the engineered wood in the bathroom? We did and everything has been good for the last 1 1/2 years since we did it.

[Cooperhawk]

We just did that in our home and yes you can screw down plywood and glue flooring directly to it. Do not however use particle board. Use only a good grade plywood.

[GA Navigator]

Originally Posted by super_rep

Why not take the tile up and use the engineered wood in the bathroom? We did and everything has been good for the last 1 1/2 years since we did it.

I like the tile and don't see any need to remove it.


1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060

[britcon]

I think the Home Depot / Lowes outlets actually sell an underlay product for exactly this need. Are you sure the flooring is a glue down application ? Many of the thinner products are click together ?

[GA Navigator]

Originally Posted by britcon

I think the Home Depot / Lowes outlets actually sell an underlay product for exactly this need. Are you sure the flooring is a glue down application ? Many of the thinner products are click together ?

Yes.


1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060

[alvo]

OSB (Oriented Strand Board) is a better choice than plywood. Cheaper and stronger. It's made by glueing random oriented chunks of wood together. Cheaper than plywood because it's mostly waste wood products used. Stronger because of the random direction the wood takes (unlike plywood where the layer are glued together only 90 degrees from each other.

Keep in mind the added weight if you're going to be moving a lot.

[GA Navigator]

Originally Posted by alvo

OSB (Oriented Strand Board) is a better choice than plywood. Cheaper and stronger. It's made by glueing random oriented chunks of wood together. Cheaper than plywood because it's mostly waste wood products used. Stronger because of the random direction the wood takes (unlike plywood where the layer are glued together only 90 degrees from each other.



Keep in mind the added weight if you're going to be moving a lot.

I will check out the OSB. The subfloor is OSB.
I'm sure the new floor will be heavier than the carpet but that's OK with me.


1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060

[jcgribks]

You need a floating floor in a motorhome due to the temperature differences between summer and winter. It must be able to expand and contract.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by jcgribks

You need a floating floor in a motorhome due to the temperature differences between summer and winter. It must be able to expand and contract.

This seems to be the conventional wisdom but it isn't true. We had all our flooring removed back in 2011 and replaced with Mannington Adura. It's 16"x16" tiles and its glued to the underlayment just as in residential installations. We live in the coach full time and have been in the coach with temps down to zero on a couple of occasions.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[Ernie Ekberg]

Originally Posted by jcgribks

You need a floating floor in a motorhome due to the temperature differences between summer and winter. It must be able to expand and contract.

Sorry- but that statement is unfounded.
Engineered wood, adhered with urethane adhesive is fool proof.

[GA Navigator]

Originally Posted by jcgribks

You need a floating floor in a motorhome due to the temperature differences between summer and winter. It must be able to expand and contract.

This has been a project that I've been wanting to do for some time now. I've read hundreds of forum posts on the subject and have made my decision on the engineered wood and glued down based mostly on Mr. Ekberg's posts and the lack of complaints about his installations. I wish I had the time and money to visit TX and let him do it but I don't so I'm gonna try to get as close as I can to the quality of his work on my own.
And I also don't want a whole bunch of flooring hitting me in the head in an accident that I hope never happens.


1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060

[alvo]

Wood flooring expands and contracts with changes in temperature and humidity. This generally isn't an issue and floors have been nailed down for years without any problems. Occassionaly you'll find a floor where some of the wood had buckled because it was laid too tightly together and the expansion had nowhere to go. In an RV the amount of room required for expansion is rather small since the area covered is never very large.

Originally Posted by GA Navigator

... I also don't want a whole bunch of flooring hitting me in the head in an accident ...

Frankly, that's never going to happen. Laminate flooring fits together to make one solid sheet of flooring. It's not anything at all like laying individual boards down and hoping they'll stay in place. The term "floating" means it is free to expand and contract, not that it's going to fly into the air with a slight provocation.

[GA Navigator]

I really appreciate all the replies even though almost all of them have strayed from my original question.
So I'll stray too. Just look at how Holiday Rambler way back in 1994 ran out of marine grade 7ply and substituted OSB on the bed box, or whatever you call it.


1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060