Instead you should cover your joists with plywood or chipboard to create a stable and solid sub floor.
Laying solid wood flooring on joists.
Make sure your wood flooring is at least 18mm thick.
This is the visible surface upon which we do our everyday activities.
If the subfloor is stiff enough there is no reason why solid nail down strip flooring can t be run parallel to the joists.
This is the maximum recommended measurement from the middle of each joist to the middle of the next one.
But typically flooring installed parallel to a room s longest dimension is more attractive than when installed across the floor s shorter width.
If your joists are further apart than this you shouldn t consider laying engineered wood flooring directly on them.
Floorboard direction is an important decision when planning a hardwood floor and there is more than one reason to install them diagonally.
However is it possible to install our finish floor directly over the joists without a subfloor in between.
A flooring contractor howard brickman responds.
It is best to install the new floor crossing the joists.
First renail the existing plywood subfloor so that the old nails are tight and add new nails to achieve a maximum nail spacing of 6 inches.
Manufacturers recommend installing hardwood flooring perpendicular to or across the floor joists for maximum stability and reinforcement.
This is the typical structure of a floor.
It can be solid hardwood engineered parquet laminate vinyl etc.
Wood floor fitting over joists.
How to install hardwood flooring diagonal to floor joists.
And even then you have add 1 1 2 wood screws in between the joists to keep all these layers from squeaking later on.