Barrier between underlayment and solid wood floors
jbiddle
| Posted in General Questions on
I’m having new hardwood maple floors put down in my family room and kitchen (after tear out of my current oak floor). Over the 3/4″ T&G subfloor, I intend to add 1/4″ of plywood underlayment to bring the height up to the adjoining room’s tile floor. The floor is over a basement in a year-round conditioned space. What is the proper material to add to the underlayment before laying the floor? My flooring contractor says a siliconized white paper is what he recommends. Is this appropriate?
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Replies
jbiddle,
The slip-paper your builder recommends is the right choice. The two factors that can affect the floor are: It being at the appropriate moist content when laid, and keeping the humidity level of the basement the same as the rooms above.
There is a misapprehension that wood flooring should be acclimatized to the house by leaving it on site for a period of time, but this may instead be acclimatizing it to construction humidity levels it will not experience later. To find the appropriate moisture level use the chart from this article: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2008/11/12/11-wood-flooring-problems-and-their-solutions