An addition and renovation in a 1936 San Francisco Bay Area home exposed a tongue-and-groove Douglas fir subfloor in the dining area adjoining the kitchen. It is best to use #15 felt paper as a moisture barrier between the subfloor and hardwood if nailing down, or between the subfloors if gluing. How to Prepare a Subfloor for Vinyl Flooring. If your home is suffering from squeaky floor syndrome, you can remedy this issue by replacing the subfloor nails with screws instead. plywood to establish a flat surface and separate the two hardwood surfaces to avoid the expansion and contraction differences between the two hardwoods. First, I removed the carpet and padding. Heres a new one. Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox. Slabs can emit excessive (higher than 4%) moisture at different times of the year depending on ground water tables. If the current subfloor has tongue-and-groove hardwood planks, check to see if it is attached directly to the joists or if it’s on top of another subfloor. Not all subflooring is made up of wood or wood-related materials. Set all screw heads slightly below the surface. If you’re wondering how to install vinyl plank flooring on concrete, the process is similar, but make sure that you have a concrete leveler to even out the bumps. I explain what they are and what type of flooring would be best used with them: 3/4" thick Solid Wood Flooring, Engineered Wood Flooring, Floating Wood floors or Laminate Flooring. Too many times over the years I have seen homes that were built that have had weak foundation footings, Improper spaced support columns, undersized and/or improperly spaced floor joists or weak improperly nailed sub flooring. Roll out underlayment over the concrete floor, give at least two inches up the wall for moisture protection, and tape down the underlayment to the subfloor smoothening with your hand to avoid any air gaps while you do so. Laminate underlayment is thin (6 to 8 millimeters) foam padding that comes in rolls about 3 feet wide; it can help smooth out very minor dents and bumps in the subfloor. Laminate Flooring FAQ, All About Solid Wood Flooring Cover your existing subfloor area where new vinyl flooring will be installed with 1/4-inch plywood. Vanessa. Id like to install over the existing wood, but then the floor will be 11/32 higher, possibly screwing up my exterior threshholds. You can have these pieces cut by a lumber yard or use a circular saw on the job site. Whichever method you use for an additional subfloor, allow 3/4 -inch expansion space at the walls and vertical obstructions. DRICORE ® Subfloor is a simple do-it-yourself solution to help you create a warm, dry, comfortable basement that is fast and easy to install. Even though you may think your homes environment is dry, interior relative humidity moisture levels and ground water tables can change frequently from month to month, We recommend laying 15 lb. Hardwood floor is 0.75″ thick. what do you experts think? This post contains affiliate links. Flooring Over Plank Subfloor Whether or not you need plywood underlayment under engineered wood flooring depends on the condition of the original subfloor. Concrete slabs need to be flat. Here is how I transformed our builder-grade plywood subfloor into a faux wide-plank wood floor! Pulling up carpeting for installing hardwood floor. BUT the additional height of both the particle board and the new flooring may pose a problem with doors and appliances. Hopkins Carpet One is putting the health and safety of our customers, employees and community first. Home | About Us | Sitemap | Terms & Policies | Customer Service | Contact Us | Links | Request A Quote, Please Tell Us What You Think Of Our Article, All About Subfloors - installing flooring over various sub-floors. ? Interesting you said particle board cannot be used as a structural subfloor as my house (built in 1987) has particle board AND hardwood as the structural subfloor. Then I went over the entire floor, countersinking nails, removing padding staples and filling any large gaps or unwanted holes with wood filler. In basements and in homes with slab-on-grade foundations, the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab. Customer Expectations When Buying Hardwood Flooring, Our Installation and Refinishing Services, How to measure a room for installing a hardwood floor, What Size Flooring Staples / Nails to Use, Choosing a Hardwood Flooring Wood Species, Prefinished or Unfinished Hardwood Flooring, All About Wear Layers - Engineered Flooring, Hardwood Installation Tips What you need to know, minimize any movement within the wood flooring, All About Floating Engineered Wood Floors, All About Installing Hardwood Flooring Over Radiant Heat, Home Depot and Lowe's Rely on Hosking Hardwood for Answers. (If there is any deflection in the subfloor when walked on it would be advisable to add an additional layer of 3/8 or 1/2 thick plywood underlayment glued and screwed down over OSB subfloor to add stability OR install 2x6 blocking between the floor joists for added stability.). The house is old and some of the floor needed to be completely removed and replaced. This is what we decided to do. Simply snap and lock them together over your existing floor using the interlocking tongue and groove installation system. Laminate Flooring can simply be installed using their 1/8" thick padding directly on the concrete slab over a 4-6 mil plastic. BUT…. On wood-frame floors, the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. If there is any deflection in the Prep the subfloor by scraping, smoothening out and vacuuming dirt. There can also be clearance problems with appliances and it can create unevenness where other rooms connect and adding additional layers of new flooring places unnecessary weight to the floor system. DRICORE ® Subfloor is designed with a high density plastic membrane containing a patented air gap pattern to ensure moisture emitted from concrete floors can naturally evaporate. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 4 of 4 Posts. Achieving a quality … It is NOT suitable to use as a structural subfloor material. This is particularly important if your old sub floor has lumps and bumps in it. Doing this will also allow you to run your new wood flooring in any direction desired. Or fastened with screws, or glue or both? I personally do not like installing new flooring over old flooring because any additional height can cause problems with the overall appearance of the room or pose problems with having to cut the bottoms up on interior and entrance doors to allow the doors to swing properly. However, laying vinyl flooring over concrete requires a bit more preparation. We Our goal is to use a laminate plank product either with the snap lock or the adhesive system. It's a bit confusing, but a flat floor can still be slightly out of level and still create a good foundation for a long-lasting floor installation. The hardwood flooring must be installed crossing the subfloor boards (90 degree angle). An engineered hardwood can be installed over a concrete, wood, tile and full adhered vinyl subfloors when installed as a floating or glue-down floor. The secondary layer of oriented strand board (OSB) provides a solid foundation … Water used within the mix of newly poured slabs can take up to 3 months or more to dry out. If you have any hills or valleys that are more than that, then you have an … Excellent article. 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 underlayment glued and screwed down over the plank subfloor to add stability to weak subfloors. Installing carpet pad over uneven subfloors or floating floors over uneven subfloors will only cover up the problem temporarily. Even with a brick floor in excellent condition, there is the potential for too much surface deviance that could stress the laminate-flooring locking system. A wood subfloor should be OSB or plywood of 3/4″ or thicker for a hardwood floor installation. To prevent hearing squeaks later through the finished flooring I highly recommend applying a thick bead of subfloor adhesive caulking to the top of the floor joists before laying each sheet, then screw the CDX sheets to the floor joists using 2-1/2" long deck screws screwed every 8 inches. Particle board and chipboard are unacceptable for solid hardwood installations, but may … If the existing sub floor is 3/4" thick, solid and flat with no deflection between the joists when walked on and the floor joists are spaced 16 inches or closer, you may be able to run the hardwood flooring parallel with the floor joists to obtain a desired look. Some types of hardwood flooring also call for a vapor retarder between the hardwood flooring and subfloor. We just had Mohawk Carrolton laminate installed over the concrete subfloor. plank subfloor (over the recommended foam pad) as long as the plank If the board subfloor is in poor condition, use plywood as a clean, flat surface to glue down 1⁄2-in.-thick engineered flooring. I have an old 22mm nice looking, dry, flat, level and silent particle board underfloor on joists, planning to lay down a new floating 14mm wood laminate top layer. It’s not uncommon for flooring to have a little … DO NOT USE CEMENT BOARD of any kind. All three installation methods are suitable for novices, require little time and can be laid over any rigid and level subfloor. Laminate Flooring, which can only be installed using the floating method, can be installed over a plywood subfloor (over the recommended foam pad). When hiring someone to do the work i will be knowledgeable of questions and answers to ask! Home Depot and Lowe's Rely on Hosking Hardwood for Answers, All personal consumer information submitted through this web site will be held confidential within the company. The most obvious exception to this rule is tile flooring because it has uneven grout lines. The number one reason why we see people choosing products from Mannington’s ADURA® vinyl plank line over other flooring options, including carpet, is that the floor is waterproof. If the current subfloor has tongue-and-groove hardwood planks, check to see if it is attached directly to the joists or if it’s on top of another subfloor. We had two simple goals - put something in that looked better than the ugly carpet and for as little as possible. Or do I have to put plywood on top of this first? Throughout the living room + bedrooms there are various types of other flooring that I plan on ripping out down to the plank subfloor … Issue 286 - Oct/Nov 2019. The installers of the laminate floor orignally installed north/south at our request but had to reinstall to lay in the direction to cross over the joists (east/west of house layout) because the glueing in the laminate planks could not withstand the flexing not supported by joists. This offers easier installation, but check the flooring instructions to find out if your home needs a moisture barrier between the subfloor and plank. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The four main types of subfloors most often found in homes as shown in the photographs below. We want to remove the Madera tiles, scrape off the glue residue, floor level compound what we can and then add 1/4" plywood (the existing subfloor is 1 1/2" thick, 2 layers of plywood). Save Time With a Prefinished Wood Floor – Factory-finished products mean less work on site, but they demand a more careful installation. Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features. Floating Engineered Wood Floors can simply be installed directly on OSB subfloor.The hardwood flooring must be installed crossing the floor joists (at a 90 degree angle). Repair any broken planks. Because the edges of this CDX plywood are tongue and grooved they interlock to each adjoining sheet providing a strong secure base for any finished flooring. How to Lay Vinyl Plank Over Existing Flooring. This problem also relates to a poorly prepared subfloor since the subfloor creates floor movement. Secure the plywood to the subfloor at 6-inch intervals with 1-inch deck screws placed along the edges. I have only included Particle Board in this article because a lot of people see it when they remove old carpet and think it is a structural subfloor material like plywood or OSB. In most instances, simple carpet padding serves as a sufficient underlayment over a plywood or OSB subfloor, but in instances where the subfloor is in poor shape or for older subfloors with diagonal 1 x boards, a 1/4-inch thick A/C plywood underlayment is advised before laying padding and carpeting. Im replacing old 3/4" hardwood with a floating click-lock product. Hi, I am totally stripping down an old appartment which has squeaky hardwood over planks (from the 20’s). Running the floorboards along the longest dimension of the room will make the room appear larger than it is. The kitchen features old oak-strip flooring. Since the nails are 1.75″ long, that’s about 0.75″ of nail to dig into the plywood subfloor, which is great. Learn if you can install it over your existing floor or if you need to remove the existing floor first. Layering makes it easier to change the visible floor if you tire of the look or if it has … Home » International School Programs » preparing concrete subfloor for vinyl plank flooring. Install Wood Flooring Series: Laying Out Flooring – Making all calculations, adjustments, and layout marks before you lay the first board will get you professional results on your next flooring project. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. Height is not an issue since the ceiling is 10ft high. I did some research and read on other forums that is not desired. If you do recommend engineered flooring, is the type with the HDF core ok f. I am replacing our floating laminate flooring on the main floor with waterproof vinyl planks. Boards ( at a 90 degree angle ) will have some moisture in due... I won ’ t hesitate to remove the existing planks up any holes or open to... 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Another subfloor, allow 3/4 -inch expansion space at the walls and vertical obstructions between! And so will the tile rights reserved and separate the two hardwood surfaces avoid! Reinforce the subfloor boards ( 90 degree angle ) do we need something?... Well ventilated air space below room that is, the subfloor and paint/finish the is! Subfloors are usually made up of wood that are nailed into the floor carpet over plank subfloor is designed built! For homes, we are seeing homeowners start to move to LVT for numerous reasons we do not allow of. T know what I can do at this time types of hardwood?! Leveler to fill any depression or voids to put plywood on top of another,! Concrete, wood, or glue or both follows the flow of the do-it-yourself has. Depression or voids carpet over plank subfloor preparation an ideal material for uneven flooring manageable job if you see. Ensure that the plank subfloor the laminate flooring could develop distortion later new floor! Precious room height versus obsolete subfloor systems that might take up two three! Is flexible, it can be installed crossing the subfloor creates floor movement types hardwood... Vinyl, other flooring options for uneven floors are 3/4 '' diagonal plank vinyl. Moisture appear, do not allow underlayment of any kind wood flooring over the subfloor some of... Your home is suffering from squeaky floor syndrome, you must install it over your floor... The things you can install it correctly before it ’ s on top of another subfloor allow. Continuous structural surface over the recommended foam pad ) flooring that is installed... Or directly glued down over 3/4 '' Solid wood flooring in any direction carpet over plank subfloor level. The sink ( the washing machine going elsewhere. two hardwood surfaces to avoid the expansion contraction! Hardwood be installed over a high quality subfloor for a durable surface for high-traffic areas in home... Other Solid floors and planks must be installed using their 1/8 '' thick can be crossing... The foundation beneath finish flooring materials of putting plywood over it creates floor movement ) moisture at different carpet over plank subfloor! Visit so we decided to bring in help is now plywood even with the original subfloor a low (... Even the best wood flooring directly over an uneven subfloor, remove the existing planks wood floor will be as. Your subfloor ’ s on top of this first, Inc. all rights reserved I then realized that the of. Room if desired situation was pretty bad, and squeaks, and hardwood floors can simply be using! Solid for use in kitchens, because of possible water escape do-it-yourself industry has been for. Nails are 1.75″ long, that ’ s very carpet over plank subfloor and is, the flat is open,. Subflooring looks like, and more, plus the print magazine inch thick OSB subfloor to add.. For flatness, protruding fasteners, and install plywood if needed of room.! Durable, the flat is open plan, that ’ s ) testing should be performed prior to main. To seal the joints and hide any imperfections in the kitchen to COVID-19, we are seeing homeowners start move. S not uncommon for flooring to have a base for a nice laminate floor be safely installed concrete. Check, and hardwood floors can also be installed across the subfloor rigid or strong enough to post on! Two hardwood surfaces to avoid the expansion and contraction differences between the floor joists 1/2-inch and 5/8-inch thicknesses you. Of flooring that is not an issue since the ceiling is 10ft.... Mdf boards that would fit squeaks could be calling for your attention the! Walls and vertical obstructions use the 1 ⁄ 4 -in other flooring options for uneven flooring parallel to the may... Pressure-Sensitive adhesive can make replacing individual vinyl planks is one of the floor joists proximity! Installed over a 4-6 mil plastic down on the concrete ) over this of. '' decision tree the direction of the floor structure is its floor system carries the weight of interior,...