Building My House What Is the Best Subfloor Material

The Best Plywood For Flooring

A typical wood framed house has four layers of stacked material that make up the floor. Joists are what supports the floor. They're typically ii×eight, 2×x, two×12 or engineered lumber and sixteen inches on center. A plywood subfloor is glued and screwed directly to the joists. This is ordinarily OSB, CDX or regular plywood. All three come up in 4×viii sheets at five/eight inch thickness. Dissimilar underlayment materials are then installed on top of the subfloor based on the blazon of finished flooring your using. Finally the finished flooring is installed. The best plywood for flooring depends on multiple factors such as the blazon of finished floor, the size of the joists, the joists spacing and moisture levels. In my experience equally a custom home builder, traditional plywood is the all-time for flooring followed by CDX and then OSB.

A strong subfloor is a very important part of building a stiff business firm. If the subfloor plywood isn't right, your tile could crack, wood floors might squeak and gaps may open up between flooring planks. Plywood is the almost common subfloor cloth used today. Information technology comes in a variety of wood types, sizes, and thicknesses. Using the right type and size plywood is very important.

It takes more than what you see on the surface to build a beautiful habitation. In fact, its the parts you lot don't see, like the plywood subfloor, that are actually most important. Picking the right tile or wood flooring is mostly corrective. If you lot don't similar your choice yous can e'er remodel it later. Simply the subfloor is a office of your home'due south framing and is more often than not considered permanent.

What Is Plywood

Plywood is fabricated upwards of three or more sparse layers of wood that are glued together. Each layer is called a veneer. The grain of each layer is run in the opposite direction as the previous layer which makes plywood very potent and strong. When plenty layers are used to create nigh a 5/8 inch thick sheet of plywood, it becomes an excellent subfloor textile.

Plywood is an extremely versatile building cloth. It's very stiff, has a high force to weight ratio and tin can absorb impacts. This is why it'due south used not simply as a subfloor but also a sheathing material.

A plywood subfloor is installed right on height of the flooring joists. First, glue is practical to the top of each joist. Then plywood panels are laid on top and pushed into position. Finally screws or ring shank nails are driven through the plywood and into the joist.

Plywood comes in a tongue-and-groove design that's perfect for subfloors. The natural language side of ane panel fits into the groove side of the next. Using tongue-and-groove creates a connected interlocking floor that'southward much stronger than simply butting plywood sheets together. Information technology stops the edges of the plywood from moving after installation.

Tongue-and-groove plywood gaps itself. All you practise is fit the sheets together. Only if you lot're not using tongue-and-groove, lay the plywood with an 1/eight inch gap at the edges to leave room for expansion.

When y'all lay your plywood onto the floor joist, the edge should sit in the center of the joist. Each floor joist is wide enough to support the edges of ii plywood sheets. For example, an one ane/2″ wide 2×12 can support 2 sheets of plywood. Each sheet rests on iii/4 inch.

Underlayment and finished floor are both installed on meridian of the plywood subfloor.

Plywood Grade

The messages A, B, C, D and X are all grades of plywood that signify it'southward quality. A beingness the highest quality. However these letter of the alphabet grades don't represent structural backdrop. They're all almost cosmetics. Higher grade plywood is made of ameliorate looking wood that's sanded and sometimes stain grade. Premium grade plywood is most commonly used for making furniture or cabinetry and not as a subfloor material.

Plywood has 2 ratings that each grade the front and back side of the plywood. Remember we said earlier that plywood is made from thin veneers that are glued together. In some plywood designs the top layer is a better grade than the eye or back veneers.

The commencement letter rates the quality of the front panel and the second rates the quality of the back.

• Panels graded A are free of small knots and defects.
• B graded panels may have pocket-sized defects.
• C graded panels may take open up knots, holes and discolorations
• D graded panels may have several defects.
• Ten graded panels are on par with scrap forest and have serious defects.

It'due south possible for a canvas of plywood to have an A form front end and a D grade back.

Types Of Plywood

When shopping for plywood you lot'll see terms such as "Interior," "exterior," "structural" or "marine". These are all classifications of plywood based i where they're meant to be used. This is a carve up classification from a plywood sheet'due south alphabetic character grading.

Non all types of plywood come in every letter grade. For example, grade A sandable finished plywood is typically used for making cabinetry and furniture, non doing marine work.

• Interior plywood is designed for rooms that aren't exposed to much moisture. They brand a skilful subfloor for rug, tiles, vinyl, engineered wood laminate flooring and hardwood flooring. Virtually every room of the house uses interior grade plywood including kitchens and baths. Because the underlayment helps protect plywood from wet you tin use it in wet areas.
• Exterior plywood is a better selection for rooms that come across a lot of moisture. In some cases we use these in kitchens and baths instead of interior grades.
• Structural plywood tin can be used for rooms that have to conduct an extremely heavy load. We rarely use this on residential homes.
• Marine plywood is the strongest and nearly water resistant type of plywood. We almost never utilise this inside the home.

Tongue and groove is not considered a type of plywood, rather, it'southward a design the plywood comes in. Well-nigh every grade and type of plywood is sold with both a flat and tongue-and-groove edge.

Plywood Thickness

All types and grades of plywood come in a variety of thicknesses. If your using plywood as a flooring material the blueprints will tell you what the thickness needs to be. Nevertheless, if your drawing upwardly your own plans refer to your local edifice code for guidelines.

The thickness of your plywood flooring depends on a few unlike factors.

• Joist span is very of import when computing the thickness of a plywood floor. Typically, new flooring joists are spaced at sixteen″ on middle. Nonetheless many older homes used 24″ o.c. The National Forest Flooring Association recommends a minimum plywood thickness of vii/8 inch for joist spans of 19.ii to 24 inches and a minimum plywood thickness of 5/8 inch for joist spans of 16 inches or less.
• Stop flooring material is some other important thing to consider. If your installing tile I recommend going thicker. Typically we install a layer of plywood and then an boosted subfloor layer similar cement board under our tile.
• Fiberglass flooring requires two layers of plywood flooring running against the grain. The floor has to be very strong and stiff to forbid cracks.
• Weight is another consideration. For the average dwelling a 5/eight inch sail is more than than enough. Merely if your supporting something extremely heavy then consider adding an additional layer of plywood.
• Radiant heat is nevertheless another cistron to consider. If your using a hydronic organisation the tubes volition run inside the plywood floor. This requires a very thick sheet of plywood.

If your plywood flooring is too thin for the joist spacing or weight placed upon it and so it could flex. This can cause problems with the finished flooring like gaps, squeaks, cracks or a bouncy feel.

What Is OSB

One of the virtually mutual alternatives to traditional plywood panels is OSB.

OSB is an engineered structural panel that'south very like to plywood. It comes in dissimilar thicknesses and 4×8 sheets just like plywood does, but it looks very unlike. Nonetheless unlike traditional plywood that's made by gluing together multiple layers of veneer, OSB uses wafers that are pressed together with a binder. Considering of this, OSB has no wood grain.

Many people mistake OSB with particle board but they're very dissimilar. Although they're both made past compressing mixtures of wood waste matter production, OSB is structural and particle lath is not.

OSB is a single layer composite wood. Information technology's primarily made from shredded woods strands joined with wax and glues. It's very strong and works well equally an underlayment. Although I don't recommend using it every bit a sheathing cloth unless you can be certain to go along information technology dry. When wet, OSB can rapidly deteriorate.

I've found that OSB doesn't agree a nail or spiral also as regular plywood. The internal structure is flaky and can pause into chunks. If you lot've ever demolished every bit OSB floor or wall  you'll know what I mean.

I really don;t recommend using OSB in rooms that tin get wet. When dry its a not bad product. But when it gets wet is deteriorates fast, holds water and gets moldy. I tin can't tell you how many times I've demolished a bathroom, kitchen or exterior wall and constitute blackness moldy OSB that was flaking apart. All the same, if y'all can keep it dry OSB is a practiced alternative to Plywood and quite a scrap cheaper.

What Is CDX Plywood

CDX plywood is the almost popular type of traditional plywood. Information technology'south fabricated with a rough outer layer that typically grades C, D or X. Almost all subfloor plywood is some type of CDX. There's no reason to buy high grade finished plywood for use as a subfloor if your just going to cover information technology upwardly with finished flooring.

CDX is cosmetically rough and may contain imperfections. It'south not sanded smoothen and not stain grade. But for these reasons it's a lot cheaper per sheet. Cheap and strong makes CDX plywood keen for use every bit a structural panel such every bit a subfloor.

Call back the letter course of plywood only has to do with cosmetics and not strength. CDX plywood is merely as strong as higher grades.

CDX is a type of plywood that grades C, D or X. Merely it'southward only regular plywood. You can buy it with either a flat or tongue-and-groove edge.

Plywood vs OSB

Plywood and OSB subfloors are typically 5/8 inch thick with a natural language-and-groove edge. One side is rough and 1 side is smooth. Nosotros more often than not face the shine side up. They're sold in sheets sized either 4 10 eight or 4 x 12.Both types are blued to the floor joists and then screwed or nailed down.

Plywood is made by gluing together multiple sheets of woods veneer. The grain of each canvas is run against the previous sheet. This alternating grain makes traditional plywood very potent and strong.

OSB (oriented strand lath) is made by gluing together large, flat woods fries stacked in multiple layers. The chips are glued together and then pressed into sheets. Virtually of the chips are made from woods bits leftover from other wood products. Because of this, OSB is commonly much cheaper than plywood. It's also more uniform in advent since it doesn't have knots or grain.

In my experience equally a custom habitation builder, existent plywood like CDX is better equally a plywood flooring than OSB. Particularly when the floor tin can possibly get wet or has tile, hardwood or laminate flooring. Plywood is stiffer, stronger, and less prone to water damage. Simply information technology'southward more than expensive.

	Plywood	OSB
Structural Strength	Stronger and stiffer	Slightly weaker
Wet Resistance	Usually doesn't cracking or break autonomously when moisture	Tin can bang-up and break apart when moisture
Suitability for Flooring Materials	Suitable for all floor	Not suitable for stone or ceramic tiles
Cost	$55 per sheet at Dwelling house Depot as of ii/eighteen/21	$40 per canvass at Home Depot every bit of 2/xviii/21
Blast/Screw Holding Power	Better belongings power	Less holding power
Installation Details	Glue then nails or screws	Gum then nails or screws
Sizes	iv x viii or 4 x 12 human foot sheets	4 x 8 or four 10 12 human foot sheets

Types Of Finished Flooring

Plywood is used as a subfloor material which means it helps back up the finished flooring. In some cases it even helps secure it by belongings the nails such as with hardwood. Then it needs to be string and stiff. If your plywood flooring flexes even a niggling you could end upwards with squeaks, gaps or cracks.

In all cases, I think CDX is the best type of plywood floor. It'due south more resistant to h2o impairment, stronger, stiffer, holds a boom meliorate and less probable to flex. However it's more expensive.

• Tile. A stiff plywood floor under your tile is very important. This is why nosotros also include a 2nd subfloor over the plywood and under the tile. Any flex in the subfloor can crack or loosen your tiles.
• Hard Woods. If the plywood flooring flexes could finish up with squeaks and gaps. The subfloor as well has to hold the floor nails which plywood is also amend at.
• Laminate. These are similar in terms of squeaks and gaps.  Although they're typically floating and not secured to the subfloor, you still demand stiffness and strength.
• Rug. Believe information technology or not even carpeting benefits from a potent plywood subfloor. Without it your floor can experience too bouncy. As well any spilled h2o will go right through the carpet and into the subfloor. CDX deals with this better than OSB.

Plywood Flooring Tips

Hither are a few tips to assistance you choose the right plywood flooring for your next project.

• When choosing a course for your plywood flooring I'd stick with CDX if information technology's a subfloor. College grade plywood is typically used for cabinet and furniture making.
• If your joists are spaced at 16 inch on center get with at least a 5/8 inch plywood.
• Utilise ii layers of plywood when building a fiberglass flooring.
• In my experience as a custom habitation builder CDX plywood is better than OSB equally a flooring.
• Make sure to glue the plywood down to the joists also as screwing or nailing it.
• If you utilise nails, brand sure they're a band shank and not smooth. Band shanks are much harder to pull out.
• Smash the plywood down on all joists. That includes the edges and inside.
• Thicker layers of plywood are stiffer because each layer of veneer is laid against the grain.
• Don't worry about CDX plywood'due south general appearance unless you lot see obvious damage. CDX is a lower grade plywood that volition have some imperfections. It's not designed to be sanded or stained.
• Traditional plywood is improve at dealing with water. It swells less and won't typically deteriorate like OSB. It's also not every bit prone to mold growth.
• If your plywood floors flex they're not thick enough to encompass the joist span or bear the weight atop them.
• Lay plywood sheets in a 90 degree angle to the joists. If the joists run Northward to South, lay your plywood Due east to Westward.
• Lay the plywood canvass'southward border on the center of the joist.

Summary: The Best Plywood For Flooring

A typical wood framed house has 4 layers of stacked material that brand upward the floor. Joists are what supports the flooring. They're typically two×eight, ii×10, ii×12 or engineered lumber and 16 inches on center. A plywood subfloor is glued and screwed straight to the joists. This is usually OSB, CDX or regular plywood. All three come in 4×8 sheets at v/8 inch thickness. Different underlayment materials are so installed on top of the subfloor based on the type of finished flooring your using. Finally the finished flooring is installed. The best plywood for flooring depends on multiple factors such as the type of finished flooring, the size of the joists, the joists spacing and wet levels. In my experience as a custom dwelling house architect, traditional plywood is the all-time for floor followed by CDX and and then OSB.

A strong subfloor is a very of import part of building a strong house. If the subfloor plywood isn't right, your tile could crack, forest floors might squeak and gaps may open up up between flooring planks. Plywood is the most mutual subfloor material used today. It comes in a diverseness of woods types, sizes, and thicknesses. Using the right type and size plywood is very of import.

It takes more than what you run across on the surface to build a cute dwelling. In fact, its the parts you don't see, like the plywood subfloor, that are actually most of import.

If you lot have any questions or comments eastward-mail us any fourth dimension. Nosotros'd love to hear from you.

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