Installing Hardwood Flooring Over Osb Board

Installing hardwood flooring over osb an increasing number of homes and light commercial buildings have oriented strand board osb subfloors.

Installing hardwood flooring over osb board.

Arguably the most important installation tip is to space your osb sub flooring panels correctly. How to install wood flooring over particle board. Tap tongue and groove sheets together with a hammer but leave a 1 8. These include ensuring that the floor is level free of debris and that the subfloor panels are properly attached to the underlying joists.

Osb is fine as a subfloor structurally but imo it won t hold a nail or staple as well as spruce plywood. Builders choose osb because it typically costs less than plywood free of knots and voids and can be used interchangeably in typical flooring applications where the panels have the correct span rating. I would not install hardwood directly over osb. Laminate flooring thinner laminate type flooring can be installed over osb subfloor over the recommended foam pad.

Always leave the required 1 8 inch gap between 4 ends of sub flooring panels to allow for expansion with changes in moisture conditions. I would overlay your osb sub with 3 8 spruce plywood and screw it down. If the laminate flooring is installed parallel to the direction of the floor joists the laminate flooring could develop distortion later. While a typical osb floor panel thickness is 18 mm 23 32 in in residential applications using thicker 22 or 29 mm 7 8 or 1 1 8 in panels can boost floor performance reducing vibration and providing a more rigid base for hardwood floors.

The national wood flooring association advises that osb. Although it is critical to take moisture into account when installing hardwood flooring over osb it is also important to keep in mind other installation best practices. Especially if you are using a stapler to install the wood. Main concern is nails staples coming loose from the osb over time.

Install 23 32 inch or thicker osb panels in the proper orientation that is with the side marked this side down facing down.