Hardwood Floor Subfloor Prep

Look beneath the surface the key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Hardwood floor subfloor prep. A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor. If you are nailing the hardwood floor in place choose cementitious leveling compound that you can nail through. Measure carefully to ensure that the plywood is an appropriate fit. Make sure they re snug.

If the installers arrive at a house with an ideal subfloor the new wood flooring will go in smooth tight and flawless. About the floor prep before i continue. Cover your existing subfloor area where new vinyl flooring will be installed with 1 4 inch plywood. Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy.

For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors. Here s a step by step guide to help you prepare a wood subfloor for luxury vinyl. The typical recommended thickness of the sub floor is. Often plywood will loosen from the floor joists over time.

Wood sub floors should be screwed to the underlying floor joists at 6 inch intervals. Use builder s felt or shingles stapled to the floor to fill small low spots if you. You can have these pieces cut by a lumber yard or use a circular saw on the job site. Learn how to prepare for hardwood floor installation.

Check the manufacturer recommendations and make sure that your sub floor meets all requirements for thickness and width. Preparing for hardwood floor installation will produce the best results possible. Remove all baseboards to create the appropriate gap at the floor edges for expansion as recommended by the manufacturer. If a floor plank and underlayment or adhesive will not fit under the door casing cut the casing with a backsaw about 1 16 inch above the level of the new flooring.

If you have any squeaky areas before the hardwood is installed take care of it before it s too late. Shim areas increase vertical height. Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width.

It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.