Last year I installed a floating Formica glued laminate floor in my kitchen over a cushioned vinyl tile original floor. Six weeks later an upstairs commode ran over while we were away and flooded the kitchen floor. The insurance company had the floor dried out and all appeared well for a few months. Recently, the edges started cracking at the seams. I plan to remove the laminate floor and install vinyl sheet or tile. The original floor was installed in '95 over 3/4" T&G plywood with 1/4" plywood underlayment attached with ringed nails on 6" centers. Within a year, the outline of the nail heads could be seen in the cushioned tile. As time passed, several places began to squeak every time someone walked on them. Before I put the laminate floor down, I put SEVERAL pounds of ringed nails and screws through the cushioned vinyl to reduce squeaking. It is not practical to remove all the nails and screws. I plan to put luan or similar underlayment down before installing the new vinyl flooring. Is there any particular way this should be done? Is there a better way to address this?

Using luan is fine I used it for years as a vinyl underlayment. The trick I found to installing the luan is an air powered narrow crown stapler gun firing about a 1 to 1 1/2 inch staple. Staple the luan down about every 2 inches around the edges and seams and then every 6 inches in the field of the sheet. If you don't have this tool and want to use nails that's fine too. Just use some type of floor patch (sold at any home center) and patch all the nail heads and the seams let it dry and scrape or sand lightly to smooth out any ridges. No matter whether you use nails or a stapler make sure that the nails or the staples are slightly lower than the board surface with a stapler you can set it to countersink the staple slightly just not too much remember the luan is only 1/4 inch. If nails are your weapon of choice just drive nail down until the nail head slighty dimples in. Once the patch has been smoothed just install your sheet vinyl and all should be good. I know this is a lot of info so if I have missed anything please let me know and I will try to help. GOOD LUCK, AC

Don't forget to patch the joints in the luan, stagger the joints also. Ilittle construction adhesive under luan wouldn't hurt either.