preparing subfloor for hardwood

Finally, repair any loose or squeaky boards by screwing the boards securely into the floor joists. This allowance covers imprecise math, irregular pieces and cutting mistakes. There are three main areas of concern: structural integrity, a clean, flat and even surface, and moisture content. How to Prepare a Wood Subfloor for a Hardwood Floor Installation Wood subfloors are the preferred type of subfloor for solid hardwood flooring installations. Most any floor installer will tell you that you should never lay ceramic tile or wood directly on top of plywood subflooring. Mark the center of each wall on the subfloor. Do this if the floor installation is part of a larger home remodel. Thoroughly vacuum the existing floor, and use a long floor leveler and tape measure to ensure the subfloor is level within 3/16 inch for every 10 feet. How To: 02 PREP A PLYWOOD SUBFLOOR FOR HARDWOOD OR LAMINATE GETTING STARTED (cont.) Preparing a Concrete Subfloor for Luxury Vinyl Flooring Concrete is a common subfloor material, and in general, it’s easy to prepare for a luxury vinyl flooring installation project. Hello all, I'm preparing my ground floor (five feet above grade) for 3/4 inch maple hardwood - it's got carpet now. Step 1 – Lay the Plywood. If you are working with wood subfloor, and you find that there are some extremely uneven surfaces, you may want to apply new plywood over the top of the subfloor. When nailing down a wood floor, the subfloor should be flat to within 1/4” in 10’ or 3/16” in 6’. Clear floor of any staples or nails. To level a subfloor for installing laminate, follow the directions above to remove high and low spots. Depending on the type of the baseboards in the room, it is usually best to remove either the entire baseboard or the shoe moldings that line the bottom edge of the baseboards. Once you've arrived at the jobsite to prepare for installation, your pre-installation checklist should include the following items: 1. Nail-down or floating floors may be installed over existing vinyl as long as it's no more than two layers thick. Few, if any, flooring installers will remove these moldings. Question: Hi There, I hired a contractor to install Bruce hardwood floor 3/8″ thick. Plywood will be big enough to span the distance of any imperfections in the floor, making it level. Don't just turn down the thermostat. Aren't … I am preparing my subfloors for hardwood installation. Compare the results against the manufacturer’s specifications for moisture limits. Install plastic sheeting around the larger perimeter of the worksite. Hardwood flooring will not stabilize the OSB subfloor, so all movement must be remedied prior to hardwood installation. While the partner holds the door in place, remove the hinge pins and set them aside. Particle board and chipboard are unacceptable for solid hardwood installations, but may be used in an engineered flooring install. Check for cracks and crumbling. Prepping a plywood subfloor is crucial for hardwood or laminate floors to last. Now, subtract the manufacturer’s expansion gap from the measurement to create your guideline measurement. Why do anything that the floor installers can do? Check that your moisture barrier, underlayment plywood and plank fit under your door casing and door. Know and follow all local building codes. This joist is causing a hump across the floor and I Checking the moisture content of the subfloor — again — and recording it on the work ticket. So, carefully consider all angles of this before doing it. Never run hardwood flooring in the same direction as plank subflooring. While preparing to lay 1100 square feet of hardwood flooring, we discovered significant variation in the OSB subfloor that will serve as the nailing surface for the hardwoods. You'll need to know how to level a floor: Just sand any high spots and fill the low spots with leveling compound. Overview: Preparing your Subfloor for Tile In this video, learn how to prepare a wood or concrete subfloor for tile, including such steps as checking for dips, installing backerboard, applying primer and thinset, pouring liquid underlayment and when to use OSB or exterior-grade plywood. An ideal place for cutting flooring will have: Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 12 years. Link to Lowe's Home Improvement Home Page, Prepping a Concrete Subfloor for Hardwood or Laminate Flooring, Underlayment and Moisture/Vapor Barrier (Required by the Manufacturer. Mark a guideline on your subfloor to run a square floor. If this is a full-service flooring installer and you are positive that all of these precautions are covered under the contract and you feel comfortable with them doing it—then by all means have them do it. So be sure to watch the plywood subfloor prep video and Removing baseboards can be a huge project if the baseboards are stuck to the wall with multiple coats of paint or if the baseboards are extensive. If you're installing on concrete, reference How to Prep a Concrete Subfloor. Keep the worksite itself clear so the workers have space to do their job. Sand-flat any plank subfloor edges if cupping is noticed, cover with 15lb felt paper. Wood floors may be installed over subfloors that are out of level, such as a ramp, but should still fall within floor flatness tolerances. Question 1: Is the subfloor thick enough? They came & ripped up the carpet today & discovered that the sub-floor is very uneven, by about 1/2″ at certain point. Without do so, chances are pretty good you may begin to hear strange sounds as the new floor is not comfortable with the sub floor. Wood sub-floors are a better surface for installation of wood flooring, and the only acceptable choice for a thick solid wood. Door removal is an easy project because the trick is to remove the doors from their hinges while leaving the hinges in place. Learn how to prep a plywood subfloor to ensure that … How To Prepare Plywood Subfloor For Installing Self-Adhesive Vinyl Floor Planks? Keep the hinge pins collected together in a plastic bag. After the flooring is laid, you can trim and reinstall the old case moldings or retrim the door with new moldings. Expert advice on how to install hardwood floors from start to finish, including tools and materials, preparation, layout, cutting, and fastening Weather permitting, dust and debris are greatly reduced if the flooring installers have a suitable nearby outdoor location to cut the flooring. This is something to discuss with your flooring installation contractor since their work is dependent on your work. This article is part of our series on How to Install Hardwood Floors. Now that your subfloor is level, you can proceed to put in hardwood, tile, laminate, or carpet without having to worry about any frustrating gaps or structural imbalances. If your concrete subfloor was just poured, you’ll need to allow it to properly cure for a minimum of 60 days before your luxury vinyl flooring installation begins. Plus, it limits dust that can interfere with their own work. This offers easier installation, but check the flooring instructions to find out if your home needs a moisture barrier between the subfloor and plank. Other times, installers lay engineered wood over concrete subfloors any imperfections in subflooring. Hours to acclimate to your home ’ s expansion gap from the measurement to create your guideline.... 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