Subfloor Required For Oak Flooring

Subfloors such as vinyl carpet concrete or ceramics cannot support a solid hardwood installation and should be removed before you install.

Subfloor required for oak flooring. The floor joists beneath a plywood subfloor can be a range of heights but 6 inches is a standard. A concrete slab makes for a very hard solid durable and often very smooth subfloor. Always check with the flooring manufacturer when in doubt. Tile and stone flooring can be installed directly over concrete but most other flooring materials require some kind of underlayment and or a moisture barrier laid over the concrete.

Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. These sheets install directly over floor joists which cross the floor every 12 to 16 inches to provide the support necessary for the flooring surface. No matter the flooring concrete subfloors should always be cured for at least 60 days before a flooring installation. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.

To comply with the warranties each manufacturer has a different set of specifications. A glue nailed construction technique is optimal for ensuring a flat stable floor. Some wood flooring may not hold sufficiently if installed directly over solid wood subfloors. A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor.

Stapling or nailing your flooring to the subfloor is the most common way to install solid hardwood. The subfloor is the decking installed on top of flooring joists. With engineered floors you can also opt for glue down or floating installations. For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.

Three fourth inch sheets are the standard in plywood subfloors. Engineered or solid strip flooring less than 1 2 inch thick and parquet flooring may need an additional 3 8 inch layer of plywood installed over these types of subfloors. Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

In cases where latex subfloor glue is required careful selection is necessary due to the wide range of performance between brands. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width. Use a solvent based glue that meets astm d3498 performance standards. To test your subfloor for moisture you should always take a moisture reading.

The finished floor is then installed on top of the subfloor.