Hardwood Floor Underlayment Over Crawl Space

The space is located just above our crawlspace.

Hardwood floor underlayment over crawl space. Hardwood floor installers use a modified underlayment on a building s second floor and any floors above that. Laying underlayment over an existing flooring. Every wood subfloor over a crawl space should be tested for moisture. The subfloor is tongue and groove wood type.

The crawl space should also be checked for a minimum 6 mil black poly covered in stone overlapped and run up the walls. Over time moisture can get trapped between the moisture barrier protecting your hardwood flooring and the wood subfloor. Flooring over crawl spaces is a nightmare to begin with. On second floors or above use of an underlayment that reduces any sound that could travel down to the floor below is required.

Even if you think you don t need it and you re tempted not to use it it s always. Ceramic and stone tile will be too heavy and too difficult to install on the access door. This can cause the subfloor to warp and rot promoting mold growth and causing serious damage to your home. The major exception is any crawl space access door in the floor.

When installing hardwood choose a floor underlayment that provides a smooth surface over the subfloor. Most types of tile can be used above crawl spaces unless there are significant moisture problems in the crawl space. This underlayment for hardwood floors is more tear resistant and durable according to users. While rosin and tar paper are common options aquabar b underlayment from fortifiber is a top option.

Moisture can damage a hardwood floor irreversibly so every installation should include effective safeguards against it. The crawlspace is sealed with a 10 mil plastic and insulated along the foundation with a high grade spray foam. For this reason every installation should include underlayment between the. Prior to laying hardwood flooring osb floors must be dry ten percent moisture content or less free of debris with no joints or nail heads protruding.

If you re installing your hardwood floors over a wood subfloor you should avoid using a moisture barrier. When it comes to installing a new flooring material you sometimes have the option of installing the underlayment for your new floor directly on top. Tile floors usually require an special underlayment on top of the subflooring. Black felt paper is rolled out over the wood subfloor prior to installing the new floor.

Many high rise buildings throughout the united states have requirements for hardwood installation. This hardwood felt paper is necessary to greatly reduce the chance of any moisture coming up through the subfloor and will help protect the new hardwood flooring. We are installing an engineered hardwood oak floor in our living room.