Best Plywood To Use Under Hardwood Floor

Plywood underlayment is a thin plywood material that is most commonly used under resilient flooring materials such as vinyl and linoleum sheets and tiles.

Best plywood to use under hardwood floor.

Underlayments for hardwood floors provide multiple benefits depending on the material that you choose. Plastic foam felt cork and rubber are common choices. I am in the process of buying solid hardwood maple flooring 2 1 4 with 3 4 thickness i have been researching the web and have found numerous opinions pros and cons on the use of a proper underlayment. While the objective is to create an attractive wood floor using plywood is really a cheat.

Plywood is a better option than laminate or hardwood flooring. Some experts suggest that 15 32 inch plywood should be standard if the underlying floor joists are spaced 16 inches apart or less but slightly thicker 3 4 inch plywood should be used for joists spaced further apart. Most underlayment approved plywood is at least 11 32 inches the standard recommendation. Usually manufactured in 4 by 8 foot sheets plywood panels and osb are acceptable subfloors for hardwood flooring as long as they are the proper thickness.

Some professionals however will use plywood as thin as 1 4 inch for resilient flooring if the subfloor is in particularly good condition. They offer soundproofing insulation a moisture barrier and added comfort while also helping to level out the subfloor. Look at the given solid hardwood flooring done with plywood planks beautiful packed spaced and glued together. Builders dealers framers when it comes to hardwood flooring the quality of the installation will be determined by the quality of many things including the choice of subflooring and the condition its in.

However check with your local code authorities for the official recommendations. In the examples we show designers are either using the plywood sub floor or gluing thin strips directly onto the sub floor either way you don t need a moisture barrier for this kind of endeavor. Types of subfloors you can use under hardwood flooring june 11 2016 posted in. The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Plywood also comes with increased stability. Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. It can also be used under hardwood laminate and carpet but this is much less common these days because subflooring is typically smooth enough for these materials many of which are installed with a different type of underlayment or pad.