Can I use plywood to raise a floor?
If you are laying ceramic tile, then covering the subfloor with sheets of 1/2-inch cement board is usually enough to smooth out relatively minor dips. Keep in mind, though, that plywood or cement board laid directly over the existing subfloor will raise the height of the floor.
Can you put plywood on top of subfloor?
Underlayment can also help protect the finished flooring from moisture, mold, and mildew. Plywood is a great underlayment to install over a subfloor. It is strong and durable and often very smooth without a lot of imperfections or knots.
How do you raise the height of a subfloor?
The cheapest ways to raise your floor height include filling the floor with some insulation material, installing a wooden frame subfloor, using a floor leveling compound, and using deck mud. The best approach to use is often determined by the flooring material in use for the project.
Can I double up subfloor?
Almost no one puts down double-thick subfloor in residential applications (for cost and handling reasons), and both layers need to be fastened to joists. Only thin underlayment can be fastened just to the subfloor.
Can you raise a concrete floor with plywood?
If you’re installing plywood over an existing dry concrete floor, you shouldn’t have any problem. However, a new concrete floor contains a lot of moisture. So, you need to allow it to cure for at least 60 days before even bothering to check the moisture level.
What is an acceptable floor slope?
Conclusion. Most professionals will tell you that the acceptable amount of floor slope ranges from a half-inch to one inch in 20 feet. The most recent edition of the NAHB performance guidelines specifies that one-half inch of floor slope in 20 feet is acceptable.
How do you raise a subfloor with plywood?
Place the plywood onto the existing subfloor and secure it. The smooth surface of the plywood has to be facing up. Begin hammering the 1 1/4-inch screw/shank nails at an edge, and move toward the opposite edge. Hammer a nail every 6 inches to ensure the plywood is secure to the existing subfloor.
Is it better to use OSB or plywood for subfloor?
OSB has a lower resale value than plywood due to its lower strength. For this reason, few homeowners prefer OSB in their homes. Apart from costs, plywood is superior in all the other areas, such as the strength of the structure. For this reason, it’s a superior material for use on the subfloor.
What do you put on top of a subfloor?
Underlayment
The underlayment material is installed below the floor covering and placed on top of a subfloor. Under the visible covering, there is a layer made of soft or foam-like materials with a thickness of between 1/4 – 1/2-inch.
Should I put tar paper under subfloor?
Look for a product that registers above 60 for both qualities. Foam, felt and rubber are the best choices for laminate underlayment. Do not select tar paper to go under laminate or vinyl flooring, because the odor can penetrate the air and the fumes can be toxic, according to Uooz.
Should you nail or screw down subfloor?
Ideally, nail down your subfloor using corrosion-resistant nails that will securely hold it in place and last a long time. Screws are a great alternative that you can easily remove, but they are not as sturdy. Screws are superior in terms of reducing floor squeaks, but the installation is slower.
Do you need a moisture barrier on wood subfloor?
Wood Subfloors
Sometimes, a moisture barrier is not recommended. If you’re installing your hardwood floors over a wood subfloor, you should avoid using a moisture barrier. Over time, moisture can get trapped between the moisture barrier protecting your hardwood flooring and the wood subfloor.
Should I put plastic under my subfloor?
Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Insulation. Those can trap moisture. And rot out the entire subfloor. So we never install any kind of plastic. On the subfloor as a matter of fact if we go into a crawl space.
What do you put under plywood subfloor?
Plywood is only one type of underlayment. Other common types include cementboard or tile backer (used under ceramic or stone tile), foam underlayment (used under laminate and engineered wood “floating” floors), and rosin paper (used under solid hardwood flooring).
How thick should a subfloor be?
The minimum thickness of plywood for subflooring is about 5/8 inch. Since it does not hold fasteners as well as plywood, OSB must be a little thicker, or at least 23/32 inch. There are several factors that determine what subfloor thickness is optimal for added benefits like insulation.
What size plywood is best for subfloor?
The recommended thickness of the plywood subfloor is governed by the spacing of the joists. Some experts suggest that 15/32-inch plywood should be standard if the underlying floor joists are spaced 16 inches apart or less, but slightly thicker 3/4-inch plywood should be used for joists spaced further apart.
Which is stronger OSB or plywood?
Osb is stronger than plywood in shear. Shear values, through its thickness, are about 2 times greater than plywood. This is one of the reasons osb is used for webs of wooden I-joists. However, nail-holding ability controls performance in shear wall applications.
Do you need two layers of subfloor?
The subfloor has to be attached to the joists, and two subfloor layers glued together or just nailed through to the joists, is no different than one thicker subfloor layer.
How often should a subfloor be screwed down?
Screw Spacing
When installing subflooring, you will want to place the screws every 6-8 inches apart. This will allow some normal movement of the wood, while still keeping it nice and secure.
Which way do you run a subfloor?
Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: If your panels are tongue and groove they should be butted lightly together with the side marked this side down resting on the supports.
