Hardwood Floor Underlayment Over Crawl Space

Black felt paper is rolled out over the wood subfloor prior to installing the new floor.

Hardwood floor underlayment over crawl space.

This hardwood felt paper is necessary to greatly reduce the chance of any moisture coming up through the subfloor and will help protect the new hardwood flooring. When it comes to installing a new flooring material you sometimes have the option of installing the underlayment for your new floor directly on top. Flooring over crawl spaces is a nightmare to begin with. Every wood subfloor over a crawl space should be tested for moisture.

Laying underlayment over an existing flooring. The crawlspace is sealed with a 10 mil plastic and insulated along the foundation with a high grade spray foam. Hardwood floor installers use a modified underlayment on a building s second floor and any floors above that. The minimum height for a crawl space is 18 high and should have vents or a dehumidification system.

When installing hardwood choose a floor underlayment that provides a smooth surface over the subfloor. This can cause the subfloor to warp and rot promoting mold growth and causing serious damage to your home. For this reason every installation should include underlayment between the. Many high rise buildings throughout the united states have requirements for hardwood installation.

The space is located just above our crawlspace. With a staple down or nail down installation over a wood subfloor using solid flooring or engineered flooring it is recommended that an underlayment of 15lb. Over time moisture can get trapped between the moisture barrier protecting your hardwood flooring and the wood subfloor. Ceramic and stone tile will be too heavy and too difficult to install on the access door.

Prior to laying hardwood flooring osb floors must be dry ten percent moisture content or less free of debris with no joints or nail heads protruding. Most types of tile can be used above crawl spaces unless there are significant moisture problems in the crawl space. Moisture can damage a hardwood floor irreversibly so every installation should include effective safeguards against it. If you re installing your hardwood floors over a wood subfloor you should avoid using a moisture barrier.

On second floors or above use of an underlayment that reduces any sound that could travel down to the floor below is required. Also the crawl space must be dry the basement floor poured all concrete cured moisture from drywall and paint allowed to dissipate and all doors and windows in place. The major exception is any crawl space access door in the floor. While rosin and tar paper are common options aquabar b underlayment from fortifiber is a top option.

The crawl space should also be checked for a minimum 6 mil black poly covered in stone overlapped and run up the walls. Even if you think you don t need it and you re tempted not to use it it s always. We are installing an engineered hardwood oak floor in our living room.