Laying Subfloor For Hardwood Floors

If there is any deflection in the wood plank subfloor when walked on it would be advisable to add an additional layer of 3 8 or 1 2 thick plywood.

Laying subfloor for hardwood floors.

Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor. In that case knowing how to properly flatten a subfloor before the flooring installation is essential. If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete you ll need to test both floors.

Even the slightest imperfections in your subfloor can telegraph into the flooring and result in squeaking buckling and uneven floors. Check for cracks and crumbling. This job is a good example. When it comes to hardwood flooring the quality of the installation will be determined by the quality of many things including the choice of subflooring and the condition its in.

Every wood floor poses its own challenges but installing one can be even more difficult if the subfloor has peaks and valleys. Floating sub floors for solid hardwood installations generally consist of two layers of plywood or allowing enough wood for a 1 inch flooring cleat to hold effectively. 9 16 or thicker floating engineered wood floors can simply be installed directly on plank subfloor the hardwood flooring must be installed crossing the subfloor boards at a 90 degree angle.