Subfloor Over Laminate Flooring

The floor can have an unlevel subfloor and still have a base for a nice laminate floor.

Subfloor over laminate flooring.

If you have a weak subfloor that flexes up and down when walked on i would recommended adding an additional layer of 3 8 or 1 2 inch thick plywood underlayment glued and screwed down over a 5 8 or. Laminate planks snap together and float above a subfloor which means tiny subfloor imperfections are okay although again a level subfloor will help prevent damage. In some instances you might be able to install your flooring over an existing floor but it is important to check prior to installation if it is a suitable material. If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete you ll need to test both floors.

The concrete subfloor must be sufficiently strong to safely support the flooring furniture and people in the room. Remember that laminate flooring like swiss krono usa s laminate wood flooring is a floating floor it will expand and contract as temperature and other conditions change. This means that the choice of subfloor i e what you install laminate over needs to provide the right support. From a distance osb flooring may look a little rough and uneven but when you get closer and feel the surface you realize that s just an optical illusion.

To level a subfloor for installing laminate follow the directions above to remove high and low spots. Check for cracks and crumbling. Laminate flooring cannot ever be installed on a subfloor made of carpet or padding. Laminate flooring on an uneven subfloor can cause problems and needs to be addressed.

Inspect the moisture level check the moisture level of the subflooring using a moisture meter. Laminate is a fairly thin material and is not forgiving when it comes to grooves dents and ridges. A floating floor laminate or locking hardwood shouldn t be installed over a wood subfloor that s adhered to a concrete slab. It s a bit confusing but a flat floor can still be slightly out of level and still create a good foundation for a long lasting floor installation.

Laminate flooring which can only be installed using the floating method can be installed over a plywood subfloor over the recommended foam pad. A breathable foam type underlayment is generally used when installing laminate flooring over plywood or osb subfloors. Wood and concrete are the idea subfloors. In most cases you will not want to use a vapor barrier type underlayment when installing laminates on a standard plywood subfloor because wood is a natural material that needs to breathe installing a vapor barrier over this can cause moisture to become.

As with hardwood laminate flooring is best installed on a 3 4 inch thick plywood subfloor.