Sub Floor Choices

On wood frame floors the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists.

Sub floor choices. If installed over concrete the recommended subfloor is either 3 4 inch thick plywood or 2x4s and a vapor barrier of either asphalt felt and mastic or polyethylene film is required. Thicker 3 4 inch a c plywood is the best choice for underlayment here and make sure it is solidly anchored to the joists. Doubling them up sistering may help make the floor more rigid. Yes you can build a 12 inch high basement subfloor and stay dry above everything but basement ceilings tend to be low.

Wood panels such as plywood or oriented strand board are common subfloor choices. Some engineered wood flooring can be installed as floating floors over a wood subfloor or consrete slab. Particularly appropriate for reactive soil or sloped ground stump sub floors involve raising the house off the ground on stumps sunken into the earth. In basements and in homes with slab on grade foundations the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab.

Subflooring is a structural layer and should not be confused with. Many floorings options like tiles rubber flooring paint epoxy can be directly put over the basement s existing poured concrete floor as long as the surface is in good shape. Creating a bed of mortar is an older method of setting tiles on a concrete slab. Make sure the joists are sturdy and not subject to flexing.

Nevertheless this direct installation will create a cold surface that becomes uncomfortable in the winters. Many basement flooring materials like paint epoxy tile and rubber flooring for example can go down directly over the basement s original poured concrete floor as long as the concrete is in good condition. But this direct installation will result in a floor that s cold underfoot. Even an inch or two in elevation for your subfloor will make a noticeable difference.

Protect your floors from water damage by starting with the right subfloor products. A number of trowel able and pourable tile underlayment options are available each with its own purpose and best use. Above this subfloor a good underlayment of cement board will further guard against flexing. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials.

We ve got the details on plywood vs osb and enhanced options in each.