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Does it matter which way you lay subfloor?

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If you are laying sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles over your subfloor, a layer of subfloor underlayment will need to be installed. It’s imperative that your underlayment is installed correctly and remains pristine; any dents, bumps, nails or edges will show through the flooring. There are some tricks you can employ to ensure that your underlayment layer is properly installed.

Choose the right materials

Select underlayments which have been APA approved or approved by your finished flooring manufacturer. If you are using plywood products, they must be manufactured using water-resistant resins as this will ensure your underlayment’s ability to withstand moisture. Check that your plywood panels aren’t damaged and are smoothly sanded. Always allow underlayment panels to acclimatize by standing them on their edge in the room where they will be installed for 24 hours. If they have to spend some time on the site prior to installation, ensure that they are properly stored. Only install underlayment onto dry subflooring. Moisture in the subflooring may cause your underlayment panels to expand beyond their 1/32 gaps which will also lead to buckling. Ensure that your subflooring is straight and even; mistakes here will affect the underlayment.

Right side up

Ensure that the panels are installed with any grade stamps facing down to avoid the possibility of inks bleeding through the finished flooring. Leave a gap of 1/32 inches between panels to accommodate the potential swelling of panels as their moisture content changes. Failure to implement correct panel spacing may result in uneven flooring and buckling.

Installation tips

Underlayment panels should be installed with the long direction, or strength axis, perpendicular to floor joists, never parallel to the subfloor seams. All panel edges should be staggered at least 2 inches to the subfloor seams for increased stability. Today’s vinyl floors show every imperfection so nail holes and sunken edges must be filled in with hard, quick-setting filler appropriate to the kind of underlayment you have selected. Ensure that the filler has cured completely before laying the flooring. Sand the filler to prevent bumps showing through. Schedule underlayment installation as one of the last things you need to do so that the panels are not damaged. Consult the APA document for guidelines on underlayment installation and for fastener spacing.

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Can I put flooring directly on subfloor?

While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin-set adhesive, don't make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. No matter how firm the subfloor; the plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile, causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time.

todayshomeowner.com - Can You Lay Tile Directly Over a Plywood Subfloor?

I’m tiling an upstairs bathroom. The floor is plywood, and I’m hesitant about using Hardie backer board because the height of the floor will be too high. Can you tile directly to plywood with thinset? —Chris

Hi Chris,

While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin-set adhesive, don’t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. No matter how firm the subfloor; the plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile, causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time. On a plywood subfloor, you need either a layer of cement backer board or an underlayment membrane, like Custom Building Products’ Wonderboard and RedGard, between the subfloor and tile for the thin-set adhesive to achieve a good bond. While I prefer using 1/2” cement backer board over a plywood subfloor, you may be able to get by with 1/4” backer board instead. Even if you use a waterproof underlayment membrane, the floor will still be either 1/4″ or 1/2” higher than the subfloor, plus the thickness of the tile and adhesive. When applying cement backer board over a plywood subfloor, be sure to adhere the two surfaces together with thin-set adhesive; and screw the cement backer board down with special screws that countersink into the backer board, such as Backer-On screws available at The Home Depot.

Good luck with your project,

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