Is It Ok To Put Down Wood Floor In Crawlspace

Problems with putting wood flooring over a crawlspace.

Is it ok to put down wood floor in crawlspace. Moisture can damage a hardwood floor irreversibly so every installation should include effective safeguards against it. Another option is to skip the plywood flooring altogether and use dimensional lumber. Crawl space insulation as a part of overall home air sealing and insulation helps maintain your entire home s energy efficiency without insulation heat and cool air are easily lost through the floor. How to install hardwood flooring over a crawlspace without underlayment.

Wood floors and engineered wood flooring do not perform well in the presence of moisture. This is essentially a concrete barrier meant to help control moisture in the crawl space this is done several ways. The warranty may require it. Crawl space moisture and hardwood flooring crawl space moisture and hardwood flooringto understand the cause of wood floors cupping or buckling when you re sure there is no water damage due to a flood or leak you must understand the relationship between relative humidity your wood floor and your crawl space during the summer months in the northeast region wood subfloors and floor joists.

An underlayment is a necessity for any wood floor installation even on a plywood subfloor. A 6 mil polyethylene vapor barrier is placed over any ground floor. Vapor barrier on ground floor of crawlspace the most common and correct method for installing a vapor barrier in a crawlspace. The underlayment provides many benefits including moisture protection sound and thermal insulation and a cushion to make the floor more comfortable to walk on.

With and with out a vapor barrier. In this design a concrete pad called a mud pad is poured on the crawl space floor. Installing a hardwood floor directly over a crawlspace exposes the wood to moisture from the ground and from the air in the crawlspace. To make the job easier use a circular saw to cut the plywood sheet first into 2 2 8 strips which will be much easier to handle.

1 x 6 3 spruce is a step up from pallet quality wood but makes a fine usable floor in an unfinished attic space. If the crawl space has any moisture problems then wood products should not be used the moisture will make the flooring rot and cup especially around any crawl space access doors in the floor.