My dad removed an old existing 3/4" by 2.25" red oak floors and re-installed them on a 50 yr old purchased home, plus added about 5% new red oak to remove broken or damaged strips. The floors squeaked alot, so he screwed the 3/4" plywood subfloor. The squeaks are gone.

He applied two layers of rosin paper, and began to nail the strips with 2" cleats using a manual nailer. The new wood was climitized for at least a couple of weeks. The existing wood was mostly in the same floor or maybe 20% in the basement(slighly cooler,but not much difference).
The old house did not have heat so it was pretty cold (40-50's). The
The subfloors aren't perfectly level, but they are pretty close.

The only thing that I can think about is that my dad liked to nail the strips on top of the joists. That is he drew the joist lines over the rosin paper, and he liked to nail the stips over the joists, but I don't think he nailed in between the joists too much.

Anyway, he finished the installation about 1 month ago, and I helped him do the sanding 1 week ago. But the floor cracks when you walk on it. Not every step, but perhaps every 3 steps or so, you hear a crack or a pop sound.

Is there such a thing as the hardwood setting in ?

I just got heat on the house installed, and set the thermostat to 68 degrees. I also putin a humidifier at 40, but it doesn't turn on, indicating that the humidity level is below 40.

What are my options:
1. will the cracking and poping eventually stop or reduce itself as the hardwood settles in. The area is mostlly vacant. The hardwood floors get very little traffic.(nobody lives there)

2. Should I re-do everything ! I'd hate to do it, but if I'm assured that the crakling sounds would go away, I'd do it.

3. Should I wait a few days for the heat & humidifier to do its work, and also walk on the hardwood for 1/2 hour each day for a few days to see if the hardwood settles in or if it gets better?

Thanks for your thoughts, suggestions.

Acie

Sounds like lack of acclimation.

The wood can't acclimate if the building is no close tight and the HVAC running for at least two week prior to the start of acclimation.

The basement where the wood was stored is below grade, and know for higher humidity levels then the living space above.


The wood is drying out, and gaps and splits will soon to follow.

So, you'd recommend that I pull the hardwood floor, and wait about a week with the heat on at 68 and the humidifier on, before I begin to nail it down again ?

When I do that, I will install 1/2 a room, and then test it for crackling & poping sounds before I proceed.

Also, my Dad did not nail the rosin paper, which I found curious. Would this contribute to the crackling at all, or is it OK to do that. He says that the cleats and wood will hold it in place.

Could the crackling & popping be caused by installing the strips very tightly. There aren't any gaps on the edges are betwen goove and tongues of adjacent strips. The wood was put in very tightly. There is a 1/2" gap at end of strips for expansion..

The floor almost looks like one big pieece of wood.

Cause:
• Movement of the wood flooring system, subfloor system
or underfloor supports.
• Inadequate or improper nailing.
• Weak subfloor.
• Improper subfloor material.
• Insufficient or incorrect adhesive.
• Floor subjected to excessive moisture or excessively
dry conditions.

Floors that are noisy and loose throughout the
entire area usually have to be pulled and reinstalled,
correcting the problem—whether it is caused by the
subfloor, fastening schedule or adhesive.

Quoted from NWFA Problems causes and cures .

Rosin paper is not a very good moisture barrier . better off with 15 lb felt overlapped 4" . no nails or staples are needed .
After you cut the length you need just flip it over , it will lay flat .
Nailing pattern for 3/4" by 2.25" is 1 to 3 " at end joints and 10 to 12 " in the field . hope this helps .

I'm still undecided on what to do.

I did notice that on quite a few strip edges, that if i step on the edge, the edge moves down a litle bit, but it doesn't produce any sounds. This is due to my Dad not nailing near the edges. Could this contribute to the crackling & popping sounds?

The existing 3/4" plywood is 50 years old, and there are about 2-3 inch gaps between the plywood sheets. When I walked over them, after screwing them in, they seemed solid. Is it worthwhile to replace them ?

Also, in the summer, at what temperature should I have the house to keep the wood in appropriate conditions ? I will keep a humidier on all time at either 40 or 45.

That's bizarre! Never seen that on a panel subfloor. Could cause movement where the panels meet between the joists, since there isn't a T&G to support the plywood seams between the joists. Without an inspection, we can only guess at the problem. It could be an easy fix or a complex one. Find a local expert to consult with who can see the floor.

Gary,

The plywood pieces that go over the joists are in squares, and there may be a slight gap between them of an inch or two.

I also noticed that the crackling & popping existed but to a very less degree before the sanding was done(I used a square buffer for sanding -not a drum sander).
Is this normal, and will the floor go back to crackling less ?

95% of the wood is probably 40+ years old. It was only refinished once, and it was in pretty good shape.

the crackling & popping will still be there until you fix the problem .

Allright, I give in. I will pull the floor, to eliminate the crackling sounds.

Four questions:

1. The current 3/4" plywood seems old (40+ yrs). Should I replace it, and will the new plywood provide a more firm surface for the hardwood floor ?
I would love to be able to put in 1" plywood, but some plywood is under the walls, and I can't remove the existing 3/4" plywood. Is the 3/4" sufficent ?

2. How long should I wait for the pulled floor to acclimate to the 68 degree environment before I begin to install ? I don't want to hear any crackling sounds after i re-pull it !!!

3. Also, is it OK to tighten the wood as much as possible to the adjoining wood strips. I would like the strip edges to be as tight as possible to each other and for the strips grove and tongues to also be very tight ? Is this OK, or will it expand in summer and cause me a problem ? I'm in NJ, and its still in the 40's outside.

4. IS 1/4" gap at each end of each row sufficent for expansion ? Or shoudl I make it 1/2" on each side ?

thanks for all of your replies.

1] Depends on the size and spacing of the joist .
You can cut the old plywood out from under the wall with a toe kick saw if you want to use new .

2]acclimation is not a time thing . you have to check the mc of the wood with the sub floor along with the temp and RH of the house .

3] It is suppose to be installed tight with the proper size nail and nailing pattern .
Keep in mind you need to keep the site conditions the same throughout the year . some gaping is normal if it closes back up in the more humid times of the year .

4] 1/8 " gap is fine . i always stand the plywood up against the walls for a day or two before i nail it .

I'm in Jersey also , if you are close by i would not mind stopping by and checking it out for you at no charge .
Nick .

Nick-

The joists are about 15" apart from each other. Would 3/4" plywood work ?

I live in North Jersey, in southern Bergen county to be exact.

You can e-mail me at Acieworks@yahoo.com.

Nick........ don't ever, ever, ever do something for free. Unless I sub it out to you......... then it's perfectly fine

lol, Jerry

Moot point Jerry . You're pay rates are free .