Subfloor Required For Oak Flooring

To comply with the warranties each manufacturer has a different set of specifications.

Subfloor required for oak flooring.

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. Three fourth inch sheets are the standard in plywood subfloors. With engineered floors you can also opt for glue down or floating installations. A glue nailed construction technique is optimal for ensuring a flat stable floor.

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. 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. Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. A concrete slab makes for a very hard solid durable and often very smooth subfloor.

Always check with the flooring manufacturer when in doubt. Subfloors such as vinyl carpet concrete or ceramics cannot support a solid hardwood installation and should be removed before you install. The building code for the subfloor is to ensure structural loads are adequate from a safety perspective not necessarily from a wood flooring performance perspective. The floor joists beneath a plywood subfloor can be a range of heights but 6 inches is a standard.

To test your subfloor for moisture you should always take a moisture reading. Some wood flooring may not hold sufficiently if installed directly over solid wood subfloors. Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. In cases where latex subfloor glue is required careful selection is necessary due to the wide range of performance between brands.

The finished floor is then installed on top of the subfloor. Use a solvent based glue that meets astm d3498 performance standards. No matter the flooring concrete subfloors should always be cured for at least 60 days before a flooring installation. With much of today s wood flooring being thinner wider plank installed on the minimum building code panel thicknesses we are seeing more creaks pops and squeaks.

For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors. Stapling or nailing your flooring to the subfloor is the most common way to install solid hardwood. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width.