Installing new hardwood over older wood floors can be extremely time saving in lieu of removal that can become expensive dirty and even dangerous depending on how the original floor was installed.
Laying hardwood floors over old hardwood.
If your subfloor is already hardwood but you want to improve the look of your home with new material it is possible to lay engineered hardwood over the existing floor with proper preparation and traditional installation techniques.
For instance i will look at much older floors that were nailed into floor joists before the widespread use of subfloors.
Or if the thickness of the floor will allow it staple to the existing floor.
The surface of the old floor needs to be cleaned.
Installing a laminate floor over hardwood is a great option in many cases.
When installing new wood flooring parallel to an existing solid nail down floor add a minimum of 3 8 plywood underlayment over the existing floor to increase stability.
Installing engineered hardwood over existing flooring is a great option for people who have hard to remove floors such as glued down hardwood or glued down vinyl.
Waxed paper underlayment http amzn to.
Things i mention in this vid.
This funny video is about installing hardwood floors over existing hardwood floors.
To save money and effort the best choice is to sand the old hardwood floor and to avoid installing the new one over the old floor.
If you will install on top the old floor boards have to be securely fastened try to avoid any loose floorboards.
When installing a floor over your existing floor you will want to choose an engineered wood floor that is at least 1 2 thick and over 4 3 4 wide.
Check with the flooring manufacturer for recommendations.