Solid Surface Floor Over Wood Subfloor

In basements and in homes with slab on grade foundations the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab.

Solid surface floor over wood subfloor. In addition to the structural properties of a mud sub floor it also takes out any imperfections in the existing floor. Engineered solid wood or floating wood flooring that are less than 1 2 thick can be installed over a wood plank subfloor as long as the 3 4. If you desire to run the wood flooring parallel with the subfloor boards you must install an additional layer of 3 8 or 1 2 thick plywood underlayment glued and screwed down over the plank subfloor. 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.

The subfloor should be solid and fixed securely to provide a rigid base. Any boards exhibiting movement should be renailed. A mud sub floor over wire mesh and felt is the only way to ensure a proper foundation. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials.

The first step to proper installation is to get the subfloor in order. On wood frame floors the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. The wood subfloor must either be solid hardwood flooring a minimum of tongue and groove apa rated type 1 exterior exposure plywood or osb equivalent. To keep this type of flooring resilient against wear and tear you must install it correctly before it s used.

Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete wood or other solid floors.