Hey everyone! I own a house from the 70s, and the hardwood floors are in terrible shape—definitely unlevel and wavy. The hardwood runs perpendicular to the floor joists, with a 3/8 plywood beneath that sits on a diagonal 1x4 shiplap. I'm trying to decide between two options: I could either put a thin layer over the hardwood and lay down LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) on top, adding to the height of the floor, or I could rip out the hardwood and install the LVP directly on the plywood. I'm worried that removing the hardwood might actually make the floors less stable. What's the best way to go about this?
1 Answer
Removing the hardwood won't make your floors less stable. The key with LVP is that it needs a level base; if the hardwood is uneven, the LVP won't click together properly and can create air bubbles, making it look and feel awful. Sometimes, properly installing LVP is about the same effort as refinishing the hardwood.
Refinishing isn’t an option for me; the hardwood is already too damaged, and with my family, it won’t last long. We're going with glue-down LVP as the supplier suggested.