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.

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. Plywood is a better option than laminate or hardwood flooring. 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. They offer soundproofing insulation a moisture barrier and added comfort while also helping to level out the subfloor.

Types of subfloors you can use under hardwood flooring june 11 2016 posted in. Most underlayment approved plywood is at least 11 32 inches the standard recommendation. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width. Plywood also comes with increased stability.

Keep in mind that for mechanically fastened floors osb doesn t hold fasteners as well as plywood so you need to use a thicker material to get the same holding power. Look at the given solid hardwood flooring done with plywood planks beautiful packed spaced and glued together. 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. Underlayments for hardwood floors provide multiple benefits depending on the material that you choose.

However check with your local code authorities for the official recommendations. Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. 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. 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.

Some professionals however will use plywood as thin as 1 4 inch for resilient flooring if the subfloor is in particularly good condition. While the objective is to create an attractive wood floor using plywood is really a cheat. Plastic foam felt cork and rubber are common choices.