Used to have frozen pipe problems

Steve_95

...but the solution is bringing new headaches.  I recently consulted with the Pros here about my frozen baseboard hot water loop off my steam boiler.

I got some very helpful suggestions including heat sensors on the pipes, outdoor reset,  and glycol.



But the boss got involved when she said she wanted to replace the "laminate" floor with solid wood.



This gave me the perfect opportunity to fulfill a dream, have radiant heat installed in this great room.



My heating expert (a Wallie) plans to run pex back to the soon to be removed by me baseboard piping.  The rest of the loop will still service kitchen and office.

My floor guy will then install 3/4 sleepers and install the 3/4 (5/8?) solid wood floor.

I started to take up the old floor and discovered it was 3/4 solid wood!  So I stopped, hoping it could be the new sub floor for the radiant and finished floor.



Problem , my heating guy would like a 3/4 ply base to work on.  Could the old floor work as a subfloor?  It's solid and stable and it's running in the opposite direction of the new floor.

What's best and what's acceptable?  Tear up the old floor and install 3/4 ply and call it a day?  Money, labor and material considerations.

Or, go with what I've got and use it as the subfloor.  Or leave it and put a thinner layer of ply (1/4"?) just to pull it all together.  (probably pointless.  Although I have a high ceiling I don't want to raise the thresholds that much.

Thanks and sorry I'm so long winded, I like to "talk".