Subfloor Floor On Concrete

A vapor barrier will protect flooring from the damp.

Subfloor floor on concrete.

On wood frame floors the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. A concrete subfloor can be covered with a variety of flooring materials or it can serve as the finished floor itself. 6 mistakes to avoid when picking out basement flooring moisture and height enemies of basement subfloors. It s used to help insulate absorb sound and reduce wear on your floor.

If you have a concrete slab floor the slab may be considered the subfloor. Structural panel concrete subfloor is a cured in factory panel that is noncombustible inorganic mold moisture termite resistant and dimensionally stable floor assembly suitable for many floor finishes. Typically made of plywood or osb and ranging in thickness from 19 32 to 1 1 8 thick the subfloor is truly structural second only to joists in this respect. These subfloors which can be made from both synthetic and natural materials are highly resistant to moisture.

Check for cracks and crumbling. The concrete subfloor must be sufficiently strong to safely support the flooring furniture and people in the room. When installing a ceramic tile floor on a concrete subfloor you don t have to worry about flexing as long as the concrete slab is at least 1 1 8 inch thick which most slabs are. To install any kind of floor covering engineered wood laminate carpeting basement subflooring is required.

About concrete subfloors subfloors made of concrete typically are in the form of a solid concrete slab such as a basement floor or a slab on grade foundation. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout. If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete you ll need to test both floors. Use an underlayment floor leveler or floor patch product to fix low spots in a wood or concrete subfloor.

The subfloor is the bottom most layer and it rests on the joists. This is a simple sheet of plastic that is taped over a concrete floor and will help keep out moisture. If necessary add vapor retarder before applying underlayment especially recommended if 3 4 inch wood flooring is installed over concrete. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials.

Concrete or tile over concrete are acceptable floors for uninhabited basements. In basements and in homes with slab on grade foundations the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab.