- Check for these conditions and if they exist correct
them before delivering flooring: water or
excess moisture underneath or in the house;
green or wet sub floors or joists.
Check for moisture retarder of 6 mil polyethylene over the earth in crawl
spaces.
- Plywood sub floor, or board sub floor and joists,
should be clean, straight and thoroughly dry.
Sub floor boards should be 6" wide or less, laid diagonally and spaced
approximately 1/4" - 3/8" apart. Plywood sub floor panels should be spaced and
nailed according to the manufacturers recommendations.
- Proper nailing of
the
sub floor
& flooring is essential. Floors
and/or sub floors not properly nailed may become loose, squeak and buckle.
Gluing plywood to joists with an approved construction adhesive strengthens
the sub floor and helps maintain a quiet sub floor system.
- Sub floors with 3/4" strip flooring use either
kiln-dried boards of # 1 or # 2 Common Pine or other dense, Group 1 Softwoods
suitable for sub floors over wood joists,
or exterior plywood. If plywood, 5/8" (19/32") or 3/4" (23/32") performance
rated products are preferred. Also,
3/4" (23/32") OSB is a comparable substrate. With 1/2" thick strip flooring
use a 3/4" (23/32") sub floor. Nailing flooring strips 6" - 8" apart is the
preferred nailing schedule. Flooring
strips (no matter what length) should contain a minimum of 2 nails. Nail all
pieces within 1" - 3" of the ends.
- Insulate over heating plant & un-insulated heat
ducts. Use a double layer of 15 lb. or a single layer of 30 lb. asphalt felt
or building paper; OR 1/2" standard
insulation board between joists. Over a heating plant the insulation used
should be non-flammable.
- Provide adequate expansion space next to all vertical
surfaces, otherwise buckled floors may result.
Information courtesy of
NOFMA The wood flooring manufacturer's association. for further information
visit The Wood Flooring Manufactures' web site at
www.nofma.org or contact Monticello Flooring at
info@monticelloflooring.com