Constructing Second Floor Plywood Floors

In addition to the visible surface flooring material the carpet tile or hardwood there is usually an underlayment and beneath that is a subfloor that serves as the foundation and structural reinforcement for the floor.

Constructing second floor plywood floors.

A typical wood frame floor covered with carpet or vinyl flooring has a dead load of about 8 pounds per square foot. A typical wood framed residential flooring system is more complicated than you think. A floor s framework is made up mostly of wooden joists that run parallel to one another at regular intervals. A second story house offers additional living space without the need for a larger foundation leaving you with more room for recreation or gardening in your yard.

Remove the existing flooring. The osb or plywood must be staggered like stacking bricks to give it strength. Floor joists are typically 2 by 8s 2 by 10s or 2 by 12s. Visual filter title loading.

The building code requires 5 8 inch plywood or osb. Whether you re installing a hardwood floor on the first or second floor of a building you need a solid subfloor that won t sag and that will hold nails. Framers construct the second story floor system to match the layout of the main floor system. For joist spans 16 inches or less nwfa recommends minimum panel thickness of 5 8 inch plywood or 23 32 inch osb.

The dead load on a floor is determined by the materials used in the floor s construction. If there s wall board covered ceiling suspended from the underside of that floor the dead load increases to about 10 pounds per square foot. Ceiling joists are usually 2 by 6s or sometimes 2 by 4s if it is an older home. The subfloor is the decking installed on top of flooring joists.

The final step in building a floor for a house is to sheet it with osb. Once reserved for subfloors and sheathing construction grade plywood is now making a splash as affordable residential finish flooring. 35 products in floors plywood. Osb floor sheeting is typically 3 4 thick and comes with a tounge and goove to give the spans between the floor joists strength.

Some newer homes have manufactured i beam shaped joists. There are two basic ways to go. Building supplies lumber composites plywood sheathing plywood. The finished floor is then installed on top of the subfloor.

The thickness of plywood. What size plywood do i use for a subfloor. When nwfa guidelines minimums are not met the recommendations are to overlay the existing subfloor material with a 1 2 inch panel product or add structural support from below. For pricing and availability.