Tar Paper Under Engineered Hardwood

To prevent this noisy problem it s standard to install a layer of 15 pound felt paper between the subfloor and the hardwood planks.

Tar paper under engineered hardwood. Our current floor installer prefers tar paper but admits that it s out of habit more than anything and to avoid having to answer questions about why he doesn t think it s necessary. I believe tar paper under wood floor or cabinets is an old and effective preventive against termites. Black felt paper you re using is manufactured specifically for hardwood flooring installations. Should i use tar paper under the new floor.

The building paper is relatively inexpensive and provides a. Charles peterson owner of connecticut premier hardwoods replies. Your first task is preparing the surface that the hardwood will lie on which means deciding whether you need to use felt paper under the hardwood. Lay your floating floor directly over the felt paper starting at the same wall and fitting the floor planks together end to end and alongside one another.

Cut the end boards as needed on a miter saw. But how many people have a damp basement today. Ken szmyt via email none. Their main advantage is that they provide a cushion as well as a limited amount of thermal and sound insulation.

Leave 3 8 inch of space between the edges of the floor and the wall on all sides. I recommend using it. However i have seen every imaginable product used under flooring on houses of every age and have tried all the normal options on floors i ve installed. While manufacturers have made hardwood floors easy to install you do need to take a few steps to prepare the room to make installation easier.

Hardwood flooring can increase your home s value. The tar paper prevents moisture migrating from a damp basement up into the underside of hardwood flooring. Roofing paper is typically coated with asphalt or tar which will emit harsh chemical odors especially if enclosed in your home. Underlay evens out minor subfloor imperfections.

It s a moisture retarder and it helps to diminish noise caused by wood to wood contact. Generally wood flooring these days is laid on a 3 4 plywood subfloor whereas in the 50 s and 60 s a subfloor was 3 by 3 4 planking. Asphalt saturated felt paper is used for two reasons. In older days the basement was an infrequently used crawl space.

Black felt paper is incredibly easy and fast. Rosin paper would block light from the basement shining through the floorboards. Therefore it s important to make sure the 15lb. The original pine strip flooring was laid over tar paper.

These materials run anywhere from 0 50 to 1 50 per square foot compared to about 0 25 per foot for tar paper. Our installer did this. An even subfloor is a key element to greater stability when it comes to your choice in wood flooring. Length cut the final course of flooring on a table saw to fit.