Your Subfloor and New Flooring

Whether you choose laminate, hardwood or another type of new flooring, your flooring company should evaluate your subfloor. Generally, three things influence your subfloor’s preparation. They are your home’s construction, where the new flooring is going, and the type of flooring. However, if the flooring installers you’re considering doesn’t make mention of evaluating your subfloor, you should consider another company.

Flooring on Your Concrete Slab

The vast majority of homes, especially those built in the past 20 years, are built on a concrete slab. This does impact how you want your flooring company to handle your new flooring installation. Here are the steps your flooring installers should take after removing the old flooring material:

• Clean old materials from the slab – Mostly this refers to glue or adhesive and tack strips from old carpet.
• Check that the slab is level and free from cracks. Due to settling and rushed construction, not every concrete slab is level. They’re also not always free from cracks and other imperfections. Your flooring company can measure to see if it’s level and make minor corrections when necessary.
• Use a moisture test kit – Virtually all flooring can be negatively impacted by a damp slab. It may not be wet to the touch, but excess moisture can lead to an unstable floor, mildew and warping of many flooring materials.

Once each of these steps is complete, you flooring installers may recommend one type of underlayment over another or even different installation methods.

Flooring Installed on a Subfloor

Second floor installation and new flooring in older homes may happen on a subfloor. Your flooring installers will need to remove glue, nails and anything else from the subfloor just as they would on a concrete slab. However, a test kit isn’t likely necessary. Unless you or they have a reason to think there is a moisture issues on a second floor, . They will also check that the floor is level and structurally sound. Issues here are easier to correct than on a slab. Underlayments on subfloor, especially those on the second floor when laminate, hardwood or engineered wood is installed, should have some sound dampening properties.

If you’re looking for new laminate or hardwood flooring installed in your home, call Authentic Hardwood Flooring. We offer countless styles and options of laminate flooring from leading manufacturers. We also install hardwood flooring with a custom finish that suits your style. Reach us at (727) 786-6330 or fill out our contact form today for a free estimate.