Subfloor As Main Floor

For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.

Subfloor as main floor.

The room smells musty. But combined with other methods that measure the finish floor you can get a fairly accurate reading of total floor thickness. They serve to support the floor finishes and in some cases they include the layers that separate the main structural parts of the floor from decorative floor coverings. Subfloors are essentially the important structural layers upon which the decorative flooring rests.

The university of florida reports that plywood subfloors often separate when exposed to moisture causing areas to warp or buckle. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Yes you can use pine subfloors as primary flooring. Normal spacing is 16 inches on center from center to center though some floors may have joists on 12 inch or 24 inch centers.

Floor joists and subfloor floor joists spaced on regular intervals span the areas between supports such as walls foundations girders and beams. On wood frame floors the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. You can still get a new look for the floor when you rip up the carpet and paint the plywood sub floor. If you have an older subfloor constructed of multiple slats rather than large sheets of plywood you can insert your straight edge between the slats.

Repair or replace damaged subflooring or it might not provide viable support as regular flooring. If you notice squeaking throughout the entire room this could be a sign that the material has warped. Subfloors squeak when the nails connecting them to the joists are pulled loose. This method only measures subfloor thickness.

Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. Drawbacks include a thinner less insulated floor and a less durable surface than other flooring types. As a result failing subfloors have movement sagging soft spots unequal levels separation and excessive squeaking. If you want new flooring but can t afford it don t fret.

In many older houses the pine subfloor was the only floor and it held up well. It is a very budget friendly update that will give the room a whole new look for the cost of a few gallons of primer and paint. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor.

As you walk across the floor the nails move in and out of the wooden joists causing the awful familiar sound of creaky floorboards. In basements and in homes with slab on grade foundations the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab.