Hi, first time I've posted, so sorry if this is in the wrong place.
My house is about 18 years old, and the floorboards for as long as I've owned it (10 years) upstairs has creaked and groaned. I eventually lifted a carpet to change out the nails for screws etc...and in the first location I looked, there was a series of nails and screws around 30mm apart..! I reckon it's been attempted at least 4 times!
So the small-panel tongue and groove chipboard is past it. I was intending to lift this flooring and put down plyboard, and was hoping to do this room by room as I get the time, and perhaps put down some thin neoprene strips or similar between the joists and plyboard to help with any future 'movement'. So the most important question is : Am I on the wrong track? Is this possible?
The old flooring appears to have been laid, then the partition walls built over, so could I take the skirting boards off and cut up to the partition wall then lay the new flooring? (Obviously the jointing will have to be on a joist) otherwise, it looks like the walls have to come down (not something I'm happy about!)
Would it be better to lay sheets of plyboard as big as possible, cutting down to suit, or using the smaller panel ply? And bearing in mind the point is to stop the squeaking, how close should the joints come? Tight together, or a few mil apart?
Any advice would be welcome- the mice upstairs sound like hippos..!