SUBFLOOR TYPES

Subfloor is the structure on which your new wood flooring will be installed. Subfloors very depending on age and type of property, they can be a concrete foundation of the property, or the can be floorboards, plywood or particleboard laid over the floor joists. Assessing the type and condition of the existing subfloor is a extremely important when it comes to laying your new flooring as the decision on which type of floor you can install and the method of installation to be used will depend on the type of subfloor you have.

Some common subfloor types are:

Concrete or cement
A mix of cement, fine aggregates and water that hardens after mixing. In period properties it may be located on the lower or ground floors of the existing structure or extension, usually added at a later date due to modern building practices. In more modern buildings it may be located on all floor levels and in some cases it is covered with floorboards.

Plywood
Panel sheeting made of three or more thin layers of wood bonded together using glue. The layers have alternating grain directions to add strength. This subfloor is usually installed over timber joists.

Particleboard
Panel sheeting made from wood particles (wood chips, sawmill shavings, saw dust) bonded together under pressure. Particleboard has a higher density than chipboard, and is a cheaper and less durable alternative to solid wood or plywood subfloors. As with plywood, this subfloor is usually installed over timber joists. Floorboards – The traditional softwood flooring, constructed usually from long planks of Pine. Traditionally the planks where square edged, although these days it is common to use a tongue & grooved structure instead.

Before installing any new wood flooring, it is important that you remove all old floor covering and get down to a flat, solid and dry subfloor. Old floor covering, like Carpets, Laminate, Vinyl or other existing flooring types are not suitable as a subfloor for wood flooring, and must be removed. The table below contains some information on subfloors, flooring types and installation methods you can use:

Subfloors	Flooring Type	Installation Method
Concrete	Solid	Nailed on Battens, Glue-Down
	Engineered	Floating on underlay, Glue-Down
Plywood, T&G Floorboards	Solid	Nail-down, Glue-Down
	Engineered	Floating on underlay, Glue-Down, Nail-down,
Particle Board	Solid	Glue-Down
	Engineered	Floating on underlay. Glue-Down