The ways to Suitably Prepare a Subfloor Prior to Flooring
I have worked installing flooring in residential and commercial carpentry for 23 years, and I would like to help you escape some pitfalls in floor preparation. The most useful factors to think of in flooring preparation are moisture considerations, proper support in the subfloor, imperfections in the subfloor, and dangerously tilting floor applications.
At the beginning of a job it is important to check the moisture levels of the air in the flat, the moisture of the flooring to be installed, and the moisture of the subfloor in the installation locality. I would implore keeping the flooring pieces in the room where it is going to be set up for a bare minimum of 1 week prior to installation, but better for a month to properly align the three moisture issues mentioned. In addition, be cautious to ensure that the moisture barrier between the subfloor and the installation flooring is enough so that the subfloor doesn’t impact the flooring during various periods of the year.
I would implore that you walk over all areas of the flooring of the floor to determine how resilient the floor is. Does the subfloor have flux when you walk over it? Does the flooring bend, squeak when you walk on it? It is important to screw down any unattached hideaways of the subfloor. Also, if you are going to install your subflooring in the same inclination as the flooring joists you should in most instances lay out extra joist support underneath the subfloor. If the subfloor has any movement or is inadequately supported the end result could be a flooring situation that will not last or become demolished due to lack of forethought.
When a flooring job has imperfections in the flooring surface they can be handled in a variety of ways. If the problems aren’t too extreme you can fill holes or spaces in the surface of the subfloor with filler products designed for this intent. If the amount or inconsistencies in the subfloor are more serious it might be best to install a layer of nice smooth faced plywood over the whole subfloor surface. On several of my own jobs this was the best way to handle inconsistencies and harsh resiliency problems. The way the shattered subfloor was installed and the direction of your flooring joist will determine the best direction to run the layer of subfloor. In the most all-important situations when the subfloor is rotted or badly broken it might be necessary to tear out the existing subfloor and reinstall the subfloor. But this type of repair is needed in only the worst of situations.
One of the final types of applications that arise on some jobs is badly tilting subfloor. This type of headache could be easily take up several chapters on its own, but I will only briefly touch on the solutions here. I would recommend you have an experienced expert look at your particular bad situation. But if the problem is bad you might have to lift the subfloor and lay new or additional supporting sono-tubes for the flooring. In minor situations where the slope is modest you might be able to just install leveling compound to correct the situation.
In closing, I would implore you to take the time to look at these circumstances on your own job so that your flooring can last for generations to come and be admired by your friends and family.
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