Table of Contents
Is subfloor considered structural?
Typically made of plywood or OSB and ranging in thickness from 19/32″ to 1 1/8″ thick, the subfloor is truly structural, second only to joists in this respect. Subfloor holds up all of the above layers of flooring, as well as everything in your house, including people, dogs, cats, pianos, furniture.
Is sub flooring required?
What a Basement Subfloor Is. A basement subfloor is a layer that is built below the floor covering (carpeting, laminate, etc.) and above the bottom-most floor, usually concrete. Subfloors are not always necessary but they are beneficial wherever they can be installed.
Do you install subfloor before framing?
If you use a product like DriCore for the subfloor, they even explicitly recommend you frame on top of their subfloor product. They do, however, recommend you screw the framing through the subfloor into the concrete with something like 3″ Tapcons spaced every 4 ft through the bottom sill of the framing.
Are floor joists considered structural?
Floor joists are structural members used in the framing of a floor structure to support a space from beam to beam.
Can you use subfloor as your floor?
Concrete subflooring is acceptable as regular flooring, as long as it’s in a moisture-proof environment. Consider the long-term effects of leaving your subflooring exposed.
Does the subfloor go under walls?
Wall and Floor Basics Subfloor: The subfloor is nailed to the top of the joist. Often 19/32-inch to 1 1/8-inch thick plywood or OSB, the subfloor might run continuously across the joist, or two sections of subfloor may meet on a joist. Bottom Wall Plate: The bottom wall plate is the bottom-most part of the wall.
Do you need a subfloor under hardwood?
Solid hardwood floors should not be installed below grade, or below the ground outside. A wood subfloor should be OSB or plywood of 3/4″ or thicker for a hardwood floor installation. Particle board and chipboard are unacceptable for solid hardwood installations, but may be used in an engineered flooring install.
What is the purpose of subfloor?
The subfloor is the bottom most structure of the floor. It provides a flat and stable surface and supports the actual floor. Underlayment is different from the subfloor in that it rests between the subfloor and the actual floor.
What do you put between subfloor and underlayment?
Very often, particularly in a below-grade installation on a concrete basement floor, a vapor barrier is recommended in addition to the underlayment. That vapor barrier would go between the subfloor and the underlayment.
Do studs go on top of subfloor?
The studs are erected over the subfloor. Normally you just cut out up to the wall and then install your replacement piece of plywood. A lot depends on how bad and how far under the wall the damage is.
Should I build walls or floor first?
Install flooring before you work on your walls because it’s easy to damage paint and other wall materials. Carpet rolls are long and bulky so you risk scraping and scratching your freshly painted, textured or wallpapered walls as you lay the carpet.
How do you attach a subfloor to a wall?
Nail wall to subfloor using two 16d nails in each stud bay. – If wall is parallel to joists, nail within 1” of sheathing to hit rimboard. – If wall is perpendicular to joists, put two nails through bottom plate into each joist. First, secure the bottom of the wall.
How important is it to stagger subfloor?
Staggering the joints makes the overall surface stronger and less vulnerable to buckling and gapping. It’s best if the stagger is random, especially when you’re laying flooring.
How are load bearing and Nonbearing walls similar and different?
Load-bearing walls support the weight of a floor or roof structure above and are so named because they can support a significant amount of weight. By contrast, a non-load-bearing wall, sometimes called a partition wall, is responsible only for holding up itself.
How are floor joists attached to the foundation wall?
They rest on and are toenailed or bracketed to a sill plate which is bolted to the top of the foundation wall. Sill plate is bolted to the foundation rhen a rim joist toenailed to the sill and then the joists are set on the sill plate and nailed into the rim.
Is it bad to walk on subfloor?
Subfloor: The subfloor is installed across the joists. It is a flat structure that can be made from a number of different materials (we’ll discuss the types of subflooring materials next). Subflooring is sturdy and strong, but definitely not pleasing to look at or walk on.
Is pine OK for subfloor?
Yes, you can use pine subfloors as primary flooring. In many older houses, the pine subfloor was the only floor and it held up well. Uncovered pine subflooring appeals to recycling enthusiasts as well as fans of distressed wood.
Can plywood be used as flooring?
Plywood floors are suitable for any room where you’d otherwise install hardwood, though kitchens and bathrooms are less desirable since frequent water spills are likely. A 1½-in thick, 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of CDX plywood (the kind used in subflooring) sells for around $15.
What is the recommended underlayment for hardwood flooring?
What Underlayment is Best for Wood? When installing hardwood or engineered wood flooring, the best underlay options are cork and foam. However, foam does have more give than cork so, while it is the more popular option, we recommend cork. Cork has less give, making it less likely to flex underneath your planks.
Is it better to use OSB or plywood for subfloor?
The National Tile Contractors Association and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute both recommend plywood for subflooring and underlayment, because it doesn’t have the risk of swollen edges that OSB does. Plywood also has a slight advantage in stiffness, which means that subflooring panels need not be quite as thick.
