Individual boards or plywood panels make wood subfloors. Before it is covered with resilient flooring, both these have to undergo similar preparations. You have to ensure that the surface is clean with each of these floors before you apply any floor sealer. Before laying the resilient flooring on the wood subfloor ensure that the subfloor is well suspended and well cross-ventilated from underneath to avoid the ill-effect of moisture.
It is a simple process to prepare a plywood subfloor for new resilient flooring. Ensure that the panels are securely attached with annular ring nails or cement-coated nails and that the nailheads flush with the surface, if the subfloor is new. Use a wood putty for filling up of small indentations and gaps larger than the thickness of a dime between panels ; you have to allow for thorough dryness of the putty before sanding smooth.
While removing an old flooring and installing a new one make sure that every bit of felt backing, grout or any other material that is sticking to the subfloor is totally removed. Use a wide bladed putty knife to scrape loose these materials. For removing stubborn particles of felt backing, a solvent may be needed.
The old adhesive shouild be softened by heating it with a piece of iron. Better if the area is covered with a piece of paper first to prevent the adhesive from sticking to the heated iron piece. If the old floor is difficult to remove then lay a new underlayment of plywood or untempered hard board which is at least 1/4 - inch thick and cover the old floor. The level of adjoining floors should be considered before you select a new underlayment.
While preparing a wood board subfloor it should be covered with 1/4-inch underlayment grade plywood on hard board that is untempered and because most wood board subfloors, are , if not impossible, extremely difficult to smoothen and level enough for a covering of resilient floor. The subfloor must be checked thoroughly and if necessary repairs should be made before you begin the task. The loose boards in the subfloor must be renailed to make it as level as possible.
You might have to replace those boards that are bowed or badly cupped. You can smooth sand the boards that are not so misshapen. The plywood and the hard board underlayment will cover the minor indentations in the subfloor and they need not be repaired. Regardless of the fact that whether you are installing a plywood or hard board underlayment it should be installed in 4 by 4 or 4 by 8 foot sheets whichever can be handled easily. While installing the panels these three points must be borne in mind :
1. To avoid having four corners meet, stagger the joints between the panels ;
2. A gap of a dime thickness should be left between panels to allow the material to expand; and
3. Between walls and panels or baseboards a clearance of 1/8-inch should be allowed.
Fasten the panels down with 3-penny ring shank or 4 - penny cement-coated nails spaced 3 inches apart along the edges and 6 inches apart across the face of each panel. Always start nailing in the center of each panel and work out toward the edges.
Garage Flooring Protection
How To Prepare A Wood Subfloor
