Panel Underlayment: What to Use and How to Use
It by ChristopherCapobianco October 1, 2006
This column
is the first one of my fourth year writing for Floor Covering
Installer. Its hard to believe my first column was in October of 2003.
The time has sure flown by and I have had a lot of changes in my
professional life in that time. Through it all, John Moore, Jeff Golden
and the team at FCI have stuck by me and been a supportive and
professional group to work for. For this I am very grateful and I also
thank the readers of FCI for the many positive comments and
suggestions I have received over the years.
Weve talked a lot
about substrate preparation most of the time dealing with concrete testing
and preparation- but today well cover panel underlayments such as plywood
and what to watch out for when selecting and installing underlayment. I
usually do not like to mention brand names in my columns but in this case
I will break my own rule so that my readers will have more information
about the variety of products on the market.
Terminology
Plywood with knots
should not be covered with resilient flooring or patched. An
underlaymant should be installed to provide a smooth
substrate
I
have heard many floor covering salespeople and installers tell customers
that they would need a new subfloor before installing the new resilient
flooring. Actually, that is not the correct term. The subfloor is the
structural part of every flooring system its the base layer. A concrete
slab is a subfloor and in the first layer of wood is the subfloor. In
older buildings that is 1-by-6 tongue and groove boards, laid diagonally
across the floor joists. In newer buildings the subfloor is plywood,
particle board, oriented strand board (OSB) or any number of other 4-by-8
panels that form the first layer of the flooring system. The subfloor, as
I said, is actually structural. So, unless you are tearing out the floor
down to the joists, you should not say, I am putting down a new subfloor.
The main idea in preparing for a resilient flooring installation
is to be sure there is a smooth substrate. The substrate is what the floor
is adhered to. Concrete subfloors are often smooth and dry enough to
provide a smooth substrate for a new floor. However, most wood
subfloors are either not thick enough, not smooth enough, or there is an
existing floor that is not suitable. In these cases, to create a smooth
substrate, we need to lay an underlayment, which is often
incorrectly called a subfloor.
You can see I have used three
different terms here regarding the flooring system. This may sound
confusing, but there is a difference and it is explained in a document
that is actually a dictionary for resilient flooring. ASTM F 141,
Standard Terminology Relating to Resilient Floor Coverings, defines
these terms as follows:
Subfloor: that structural layer intended
to provide support for design loadings which may receive resilient floor
coverings directly if the surface is appropriate or indirectly via an
underlayment if the surface is not suitable.
Underlayment. A
material placed under resilient flooring, or other finished flooring, to
provide a suitable installation surface.
Substrate: the underlying
support surface upon which the resilient flooring is installed.
A professional in any trade should know and use the proper
terminology so I hope this clears that up for our readers.
When to Use and When Not to Use Panel
Underlayment
It may or may not be
necessary to patch the joints and fasteners on the
underlayment - check with the manufacturer to be sure. (Photo
courtesy of
Tarkett)
If
the new resilient floor is a perimeter adhered or loose laid product,
check with the flooring manufacturer. There are usually more options for
acceptable substrates in these cases. For fully adhered resilient tile or
sheet floors, there are pretty strict guidelines. When a room is built on
a wood subfloor and there is an existing floor installed, or there is a
floor that is not smooth enough for resilient flooring, an underlayment is
needed to create a smooth substrate for the new floor. For wood subfloor
systems, a or thicker underlayment should be used over the following
substrates:
An existing resilient flooring that is embossed, textured (not
smooth) or has a slight cushioning. Heavily cushioned floors should be
removed.
When there are 2 or more layers of resilient flooring installed. It
is not recommended to Put a resilient floor directly over more than one
layer of existing resilient flooring, even if you use an embossing
leveler.
A 3 wide (or less) tongue and groove wood floor. If an existing wood
plank floor has boards wider than 3, it should be covered with a or
thicker underlayment.
A wood subfloor that is at least thick.
An existing wood subfloor that is stained, painted, has old adhesive
residue, or is otherwise damaged to the point that it is not suitable.
Particleboard. Dont put resilient over particleboard because of the
risk of edge swelling.
Other unsuitable wood substrates such as CCA (pressure treated)
plywood, CDX or other plywood with knots, OSB (oriented strand board),
underlayment made of pine or other soft woods, MasoniteTM or other
hardboard underlayment, oil treated or otherwise coated wood material or
other uneven or unstable substrates.
Check with the flooring
manufacturer for their underlayment recommendations for the flooring you
plan to lay.
The blue tape shows the
nailing pattern on this plywood underlayment - nails are
almost one foot apart, so the plywood must be re-nailed every
5-6 inches apart and 3-4 on the seams, before the floor can be
installed. (Photo courtesy of Jon Namba - FCI October
2003)
New
construction is a bit trickier because you have to know what the existing
floor is and how thick it is. As far as how thick it should be, there is
an industry standard that most flooring manufacturers are quoting in their
recommendations, and which specifies the thickness and construction for a
wood subfloor/underlayment system. ASTM F 1482 Standard Practice for
Installation and Preparation of Panel Type Underlayments to Receive
Resilient Flooring, states A combination of a wood subfloor and panel
underlayment shall be of double layer construction. Total thickness shall
be a minimum of 1. This is important, because a lot of new homes today are
being built on 5/8 or single layer subfloors, and the builder may be
expecting that the resilient floor be installed right over the top. This
may be appropriate for a hardwood floor, but the problem with resilient
over these subfloors is that there may be a bit too much flex in the
floor, which can affect the adhesive bond, cause nails to pop, and so on.
The other problem is that the wood subfloor is often OSB or plywood that
has knots or other imperfections that will show thorough a fully adhered
floor.
One other point about wood subfloor systems is for floors
that are over crawl spaces or over concrete. Make sure there is at least
18 inches of well-ventilated air space beneath all wood subfloors and
crawl spaces that are insulated and protected by a vapor barrier. Do not
lay resilient flooring over plywood installed directly over a concrete
slab or over a sleeper system. A sleeper system is when 2-by-3 or 2-by-4
boards are laid on a concrete slab and plywood is installed over the
sleepers. Hardwood floors are often installed over sleepers or over
plywood on concrete but resilient should not be installed in these cases.
The problem with these three types of subfloor systems is that if
even a small amount of moisture comes up through the subfloor into the
underlayment, the plywood will well, which means the joints and fasteners
will show through the new floor.
Underlayment
Selection
A/C Plywood being
installed over an unsuitable plywood subfloor. (Photo courtesy
of Mickey Moore - FCI October
2004)
As
far as what type of panel underlayment to use, there have been a variety
of products available over the years. When I started in the industry in
1978, the most common was hardboard underlayment such as Masonite and
other brands. By the early 1980s, the industry moved away from hardboard
because of major problems with joint telegraphing. Luan started getting
used back when lauan was of excellent quality. In the late 80s a new
product arrived in the form of Oriented Strand Board, or OSB. Some of us
switched and some didnt and by the mid 90s OSB underlayment fell out of
favor and some went back to the increasingly poor quality luan because it
was cheap and readily available. The name luan comes from trees found in
the Philippines but has become a generic term in the United States for
imported tropical plywood. As the rainforests became depleted, other types
of woods were used and the quality went down. Today, I am not a fan of
luan at all - the thickness is often not a full and it can have voids,
thickness variations and other problems.
I did a research project
for one of my clients and I was able to find over 20 references against
using Lauan as a flooring underlayment. For example the National
Association of Home Builders said, Typically, -inch luan plywood is used
as an underlayment when vinyl is installed over wood subflooring. The
problem with luan is that it is soft and susceptible to denting and
crushing under concentrated loads such as furniture legs or high heels.
The Import Plywood Marketing Group, Inc website says, Lauan or
Meranti was never intended to be used as an underlayment for vinyl
flooring. It was originally designed as a three-ply plywood for paneling
Flooring manufactures agree, and Tarkett said, A wide variety of species
and grades of Lauan plywood have been imported into the United States and
sold for use as underlayment. Many of these panels have caused severe
problems such as discoloration, delamination and adhesion failures. Many
other resilient manufacturers have similar statements, so if you are using
lauan, the word warranty may not be in the conversation.
This photo shows a
fastener pushing up from the underlayment. Be sure your
fasteners are set flush before you lay the floor. (Photo
courtesy of Bill Baxley - FCI May
2005)
Other
panel underlayments are available that are much higher quality than luan.
I prefer real plywood that is comprised of layers of wood throughout, so
there are no voids. My favorite is what is known as 5-ply arctic birch,
also known as Baltic or Russian birch. This is sold under a number of
brand names today, such as Tecply, Halex, Capital, Accuply and other
brands. There are also some other plywood panels such as the Canadian
Multiply brand that are made from hard woods and are of excellent quality.
These products perform well and have a manufacturers warranty, which you
will rarely see in luan. You can also use standard A/C grade plywood from
the lumber yard, but chances are there is no warranty on this type of
panel like there are for the other products I have mentioned.
Fiber reinforced panel underlayments such as USG Fiberock brand,
or other types of gypsum or cement backer boards are common in the stone
and ceramic industry and are starting to gain popularity for resilient
flooring as well. The fiber reinforced panels are starting to gain favor
for so called green building projects because of their recycled content.
They remind one of drywall in appearance and in their score and snap
method of cutting. Ive installed these products and they are quite easy to
work with. Although they seem like drywall, they are designed to be
underlayments so they carry the performance characteristics and warranties
for use under resilient, at least for residential and light commercial
use.
Regardless of what underlayment you use, make sure its
recommended by the flooring manufacturer for the flooring you are
installing and make sure the underlayment recommends it for the end use of
the finished floor. For example, if you are doing a commercial job, there
may be different requirements than for a residential job. Some of the
products I have mentioned cost more than cheaper underlayments like luan,
but most customers will pay more for a better product with a manufacturers
warranty, so why take a chance?
Repairing Damaged or Squeaky
Subfloors
Fiber reinforced
underlayment with cork installed over
it.
Before
installing underlayment, make sure the floor you are going over is
structurally solid. In an older floor or one that is in bad shape, the
best way to tighten up a floor and minimize squeaks is to re-nail the
entire floor. Locate the floor joists, mark them on the surface and snap
chalk lines to mark their location. A 2-inch or so deck nail or rosin
coated nail usually does quite well because the nails are engineered to
hold, as opposed to a common nail that may back out again in the future.
Some might prefer to use screws, but there is always the risk of hitting a
hard spot and having the heads break off, plus screwing rather than
nailing the floor usually takes longer. Threaded or coated nails are just
as effective.
Soft spots caused by damage to the subfloor such as
water damage need to be removed completely. Again, find the joists and
mark them. Cut only the thickness of the subfloor, down to the joist and
place the cut in the center of the joist so that the existing good
subfloor still has support and so the new piece you lay will also have
support. Once you remove the existing subfloor, measure the thickness and
replace the cut out piece with plywood of that thickness. Do not build up
thinner layers of plywood such as because they will not be as strong as a
single layer. If the repair is in a heavy traffic area, use cross pieces
(2-by-4 or 2-by-6) between the joists for extra support.
Once the
floor re-nailed, and/or the damaged section is replaced, check to be sure
the whole floor is solid. If you only nailed the squeaky spots, those
squeaks may have moved so be sure you are close to squeak
Underlayment Installation Tips
A plywood
subfloor is installed directly over the floor joists and is
part of the structure of the building. (Photo from www.quiltbus.com)
Its
important to follow the underlayment manufacturers recommendations for
what type of fastener to use and how far apart to space them The generally
means or thicker underlayment panels, fastened with underlayment staples
or underlayment (ring shank) nails, spaced 2-3 inches apart on the joints
and 4-6 inches apart in the rest of the panel. Underlayment staples are
really the best way to go they have the best holding power and the least
chance of problems.
Coated nails should not be used for
underlayment because they may stain the resilient flooring. Construction
adhesives can stain resilient flooring so they should also be avoided. I
do not recommend screws to fasten thin panels. Drywall screws are most
often used and they can rust, which will stain many floors. Other problems
with screws are that they often have no thread in the top of the screw, so
its just the head holding the panel down. Plus, its easy when using a screw
gun to drive the screws too far into the board, which has even less
holding power and leaves a lot of little circles to fill.
One of
the most common mistakes with fasteners (staples or nails) is using a
fastener that is too long. If it comes through the subfloor, it is too
long. Have you ever been in a basement and looked up to see nails coming
through the subfloor? Not good! This reduces the holding power plus the
fasteners can pick up moisture from the basement and rust, which may stain
the finished floor. When selecting fasteners, make sure you know how thick
the subfloor is that you are fastening to. If you are putting plywood over
a double layer subfloor that is 1 thick, dont use a fastener longer than 1
. Finally, when installing underlayment, check the underlayment
manufacturers instructions to see if the joints of the panels need to
patched or sanded or both. It may not be necessary to patch the joints so
be sure, because patching itself can sometimes telegraph through the
floor. If you use a floor patch, use a good quality patch, and mix it
properly. Too much water will make weaker patch and may cause the edges of
the underlayment panels to swell. Allow the proper drying time before
spreading your adhesive. Its also a good idea to give a light sanding
after the patch dries, but dont over sand or you can create a different
type of problem, as you see in the photo where there is a dip in the
finished floor caused by over sanding.
Remember the 5 Ps when you
lay resilient flooring: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. A
true professional will use a high quality underlayment and spend the time
to prepare floors correctly so that the finished floor is smooth and flat
and gives the customer many years of good
service.