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What do you put under plywood subfloor?
Plywood is only one type of underlayment. Other common types include cementboard or tile backer (used under ceramic or stone tile), foam underlayment (used under laminate and engineered wood “floating” floors), and rosin paper (used under solid hardwood flooring).
How do you fasten a plywood subfloor?
Attach the smaller piece to the subfloor with a 1-inch wood screw every six inches in each direction using a power drill. Push the full sheet tightly against the small section of plywood and the wall, and attach to the subfloor with a screw every six inches.
How should plywood subflooring not lay?
1. Improper spacing. To avoid buckling, subfloor panels should be spaced with a 1/8-inch gap at all edges and ends to provide room for naturally occurring expansion.
Which way do you lay plywood subfloor?
Install plywood underlayment smooth side up. To avoid damage to the surface, install underlayment immediately before laying the finish flooring.
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.
Do you nail or screw subfloor?
Ideally, nail down your subfloor using corrosion-resistant nails that will securely hold it in place and last a long time. Screws are a great alternative that you can easily remove, but they are not as sturdy. Screws are superior in terms of reducing floor squeaks, but the installation is slower.
Which side of subfloor goes up?
When installing sub-flooring, you’ll want the rough side facing up as well for traction when working. This is especially true when you have OSB that has been treated with a sealant or moisture barrier.
Do I need tongue and groove subfloor?
For subflooring, you use tongue and groove plywood. The tongue and groove are only along the 8 foot edges. On the four foot edges, your seams will fall on joist tops, so no need for tongue and groove.
Do I need to glue plywood to subfloor?
Many people don’t bother to glue down their plywood underlayment. Instead, they just screw or nail the boards to the subfloor. A plywood underlayment helps to strengthen a subfloor that has some flex or bend to it to make a more stable foundation for your floor.
Does plywood need expansion gap?
APA recommends a 1/8-inch space between panel edge and end joints. Plywood and oriented strand board (OSB), like all wood products, will expand or shrink slightly with changes in moisture content. If the wood structural panels are tightly butted, there is no room for expansion and buckling can occur.
Should I glue my underlayment to subfloor?
No, you should not glue down your underlayment. Underlayment is is a floating material, the same as your laminate flooring. In most cases, you should not glue or nail your underlayment down. You should always check with the installation instructions of the underlayment for proper installation instructions first.
How many layers of plywood do you need for a subfloor?
The four layers that make up the wood floor system consist of; the Joists, Sub-floor, Underlayment, and Floor Covering.
How thick should subfloor plywood be?
The minimum thickness of plywood for subflooring is about 5/8 inch. Since it does not hold fasteners as well as plywood, OSB must be a little thicker, or at least 23/32 inch.
Should subfloor be parallel or perpendicular?
1 Answer. Most subfloor and underlayment sheet goods are manufactured with greater strength/stiffness on one axis. It may have longer wood strands in that direction, or it may have a greater number of plies with grain in that direction. For this reason it should be oriented perpendicular to framing members.
What do you put between subfloor and underlayment?
Use building paper! Yep, put down an underlayment of 15-pound felt building paper between a wood subfloor and your hardwood planks, and you can reduce the chance of squeaky floors and control moisture.
Which side of the plywood goes down?
“This side down” applies to when it’s used as subflooring. That side should be facing down, against the joists. When used as wall sheathing, that side should be against the studs. This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Is pine plywood good 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.
What screws to use for a subfloor?
Most construction experts use 3-inch steel screws for plywood subfloors. To find out which length of screw you’ll need, you first have to know how thick the flooring is. You’ll want the screw to go about an inch past the plywood into the joist or underlying layer beneath it.
Is it OK to use treated plywood for subfloor?
There’s no need to worry about making treated wood safer that is completely covered in other materials and hidden from access, such as subflooring. Pressure treated wood doesn’t release any gases or particulates that could harm you and your family.
What should I use for subfloor?
Plywood is considered the most popular material used for subflooring, it has been used since the 1950s and remains one of the top choices for contractors. Standard plywood works perfectly fine as a subflooring material, but the best option is ¾” tongue-and-groove plywood subflooring.
How often do you screw subfloor?
install tile unless it is screwed every 6-8″.
What happens if you install subfloor upside down?
Upside-down Installation: Panels may be sanded on one or both sides. Installing some panels with the trademark side up may result in a slightly uneven surface. If bulk water is present on the subflooring panels, drill drainage holes or sweep the water off.
Why does OSB have this side down?
Does Weyerhaeuser OSB floor sheathing have an up and down face? The side with the grade stamps is intended to be installed down to allow for the stamps to be visible from an unfinished lower level.
Whats stronger OSB board or plywood?
Osb is stronger than plywood in shear. Shear values, through its thickness, are about 2 times greater than plywood. This is one of the reasons osb is used for webs of wooden I-joists.
