Solid Hardwood Floor Underlayment? Yes or No

Do I need to put tar paper or wax paper over my subfloor before traditional installation of hardwood flooring? The Short answer is NO! At least not under normal conditions.

This is probably a question I get asked every week by various home owners that are interesting in installing their own hardwood flooring. Let me suggest first and foremost that felt paper does NOT stop squeaks! It seems to me that this is the most common consumer understanding on why paper is used when installing hardwood flooring, but I'll discuss that a little more, further down the article.

So then the obvious question, considering that we KNOW installers have been using felt paper under hardwood flooring for many years, is why did they do it? Well, I have asked every installer I have come in contact with for the last 20 years and here's their most logical answers...


1.The tar paper prevents moisture migrating from a damp basement up into the underside of hardwood flooring... but how many people have a damp basement today?

In older days, the basement was an infrequently used crawl space with only a earth base, so moisture was an issue... today the basement is usually a fully finished living space with the same environmental conditions as the rest of the house... sooo there is no moisture to keep out of the flooring
If you are installing flooring above a damp crawl space then certainly using tar paper as a moisture barrier is a great idea. But maybe a better idea is to consider other flooring options that are more able to deal with high moisture conditions.


2. In the old days subfloors were traditionally made of rough lumber. Installation of hardwood flooring using wax paper was common, to prevent the slivers from the rough lumber getting caught between the tongue and groove connection of the neighbourhood boards of hardwood flooring. If a sliver of wood got caught between the boards then it would leave cracks and make wood floor installation more difficult.

Today we always use oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood as the subfloor so dealing with the fibers of rough lumber is rarely an issue... and NOT a reason to use a hardwood floor underlayment or wax paper.
As pointed out earlier, many suggest that we should install felt paper to stop squeaks--- Felt Paper does not stop squeaks--- usually squeaks are caused by

1. subfloor (plywood) movement against floor joists (especially in cases where bracing has been removed to install air ducting)

2. strips of hardwood flooring moving against each other, particularly when nails have been spaced too far apart or tongues broken during installation.

Felt paper will NOT help either of these conditions.

Thus make a decision that makes sense given your particular job site issues and don't work under the illusion that underlay paper is an easy solution to moisture migration or squeaking in hardwood flooring installation. If you want to use it, go for it. Its not expensive. But deal with squeaking and moisture as separate issues.

As a last point, I really don't like using tar paper as a hardwood floor underlayment under any conditions as my personal hangup is that it adds toxins to the home environment that I don't want to breath. If its not necessary then why expose your body to this element!

Green or greenwashing? The truth about laminate flooring.

Green or greenwashing? The truth about laminate flooring.

Posted on July 19, 2011 by NALFA


by Bill Dearing, President, NALFA

Visit any flooring department today and you’ll see a plethora of green colored signage—in fact, you have to look hard to find any display that doesn’t indicate, at the bare minimum, that a product will not cause adverse environmental impact. Some claims even make promises of saving the planet. So how does a consumer recognize overstating and greenwashing? What do the claims really mean? Is laminate flooring really “green”?

To answer the question about laminate flooring’s “greenness”, we’ll focus only on our NALFA Regular and Associate Member’s products — and with good reason. Unless a product is tested to NALFA standards, it cannot make claims about its relative performance to these standards with any certainty.

The first concerns of a shopper usually are the features and benefits, with sustainability now at the top of the list. When laminate flooring was introduced to North America in 1993, it was significantly ahead of most other flooring in environmental sustainability. It originated in Sweden who was striving towards “green” at least eight years before sustainability hit the average North American’s radar screen. The manufacturing process was extremely efficient in its time in order to make prices competitive, which in turn kept sourcing and production steps at a minimum. Finally, the product’s life cycle ended with further recycling of most of its components, or used as approved heating fuel or farming additives.

The Scandinavian consumer considered environmental recognition important and when a company was awarded the Scandinavian Green Swan for example, its logo was extensively promoted. Indoor air quality was linked to environmental concerns and once again, laminate flooring came through. Reported as superior to other flooring by various country’s health departments in this regard, Laminate Flooring rapidly replaced other options in these countries. By the way, “Laminate” refers to the tiniest component of a NALFA Member’s product which is the environmentally friendly protective cover that you can’t see yet gives well made Laminate Flooring its distinctive benefits of Wear, Fade and Stain.

NALFA Certified Laminate Flooring continues this tradition. For example, all of our Members’ products are CARB compliant. We invite anyone to visit www.nalfa.com for a complete update of our Green Standard initiative as well as a list of our Members, both Regular and Associate. From there, you may further link to our member’s sites where you will find that most have been awarded significant environmental recognition. A core NALFA belief is in our transparency; no smoke and mirrors, and never any deceptive statements.

It takes an effort for a company to claim genuine NALFA Certification and anyone concerned with sustainability (consumers, architects, dealers, installers, etc.) can visit our site and be directed easily to the standards that back up our NALFA Certification process. The NALFA certification seal, which gives a shopper and dealer assurance of quality and suitability, is proudly displayed by every NALFA member. And yes, it is “green”.

Hardwood, Everyone's an expert...

Everybody Says Something Different. Who to Believe?

Chances are you've probably found a few opinions about hardwood floors. From a relative to the handyman, and many times tradesmen who know nothing about hardwood floors. I don't know what it is, but today everybody's brother seems to know all about hardwood floors. Having personally installed over 100,000 square feet I have to admit I don't know everything. I sure don't know how to wire a house, but that same electrician seems to know all about hardwood floors!

Retail Store Advice

The common retail store that sells mostly carpet and a few lines of hardwood flooring will not have the knowledge of the retailer that specializes in hardwood floors every day. Still even more uncomfortable is the fact so many new operations have sprung up over the last ten years alone, due to the popularity of hardwood floors. Comparing yellow page ads from ten years ago; the number of so called hardwood specialists has increased by fivefold and higher in other areas.
Where Did All These Specialists Come From?

Many are coming from the carpet trade. Carpet is extremely competitive, from the retail level all the way up to installation. It's no wonder many are moving to hardwoods. Unfortunately carpet and hardwood is entirely different. One of the most important aspects of a successful hardwood installation is floor preparation. Carpet people don't think twice about floor levelling or that dip in the middle of the floor. However, install a new hardwood floor over it and see what happens. Eventually, squeaks, tweaks, and other strange sounds will be heard.

Big Box Store Advice

You may find some knowledgeable people, but chances are slim. In earlier days it was not hard to find a guy or gal that really knew their stuff. Unfortunately those days seem to be gone. One disadvantage of the big box store is limited selection. Each prefinished manufacturer has different specifications in one form or another, especially when it comes to underlayments and adhesives. Taking the advice of someone that handles only one or two manufacturers could spell disaster as manufacturers are very strict on warranties and what is specified. Failure to comply can result in the warranty being voided regardless of who handles the installation.

Online Companies

How many are out there? Too many to count the way I see it. Check their "about us" pages. Hardly any mention who is in charge. It's the same old "blah, blah, blah.." Advice? In earlier years, many did not have the qualified people that could offer good sound advice. Times have changed somewhat. If you're looking for online advice use a few qualifying questions as a check to see if they know what they're talking about. Keep in mind, no two persons will say the same thing, but may have variations that will give them credibility.

A few basic questions include:

• What's a good moisture meter?
• Is it okay to install my floor when it's raining?
Let's look at those two questions. Moisture testing is extremely important today. A few years back when I interviewed potential installers the first question was; "what kind of moisture meter do you use?" Three out of five could not answer the question. Now as far as the raining question, problems can occur with dew point if the home is open during the installation. Climate control should be considered in this case.

Online Resource Sites

You've probably surfed the web and found a few that offer so much conflicting information it will make your head spin. With many forms of internet advertising available to Joe Public, all one has to do is slap up some basic information about a subject, sign up as an advertiser and it's on the road to riches. Unfortunately there are far too many resource sites that offer so much conflicting advice you have to wonder.

This is why I’m a believer of multiple quotes 3-5 if possible this was you can get advice or (sales pitch) from each and you can arm yourself with the questions to ask each estimator and it will weed out the flooring experts from the handyman, and if dealing with a pro you have a better chance that he'll be there to support you when the time arrise's, where do you think that handyman will be next year when your flooring starts crapping out. Working at the box store maybe?

Hardwood Floor Repair

Hardwood Floor Repair
The dreaded hardwood floor repair. Unfortunately you won't find many willing professionals to do this kind of work when business is booming and depending on where time of year. You may find some who are whiling, However, trying to find someone good at it may be another story. Some repairs are easier than others, and some should be left up to a professional, specifically floating floors.

Floating Floor Repair

I know what you may be thinking..."it was a cakewalk installing it, why should it be difficult to repair?" Floating floors are often manufactured with precision. Once a board or two is removed, the new ones have to go back into position the exact same way as they are suspended above the subfloor. The locking or glued mechanism is lost when they are removed. Special tools have to be brought in.
This is especially true with square edged floating floors in the likes of Kahrs, Harris Wood, and Award to name a few. In recent years with seemingly every manufacturer claiming their engineered products can now be floated, beveled type floors may not require the meticulous repair work. Their slight bevels can hide any vertical height difference that is very important with the others mentioned.
Nailed Or Stapled Floor Repair
These types of repairs will be the most simple to perform, although a hardwood professional is better apt to make any repair look like it was not a repair. Like any board replacement, if you're using new material the likelihood of them not matching is always there, due the way hardwood changes color over time.
Prefinished floors will be the easiest task because there will be no finishing required. However, the utmost care should be taken into consideration not to damage adjacent boards during the procedure. There are several methods of handling this project noted below if you follow other page links.

Glue Down Floor Repairs

Glue down floor repairs will require more prep work before any new replacements are installed. The most difficult part of the job is removing all the material from the subfloor after the boards have been cut out (discussed on additional pages). If you're dealing with a wood subfloor, chances are the hardwood itself may bring up some of the subfloor (small chunks) with it when removing, unless you're extremely patient with a sharp chisel and hammer.

How Much Time Is Involved?

Let's assume we're replacing two damaged boards. When comparing the time involved of the four types of repairs mentioned, a prefinished nailed floor will require the least amount of time, with floating floors (using proper tools) coming in next. Glued repairs will be a distant third, and site finished repairs the most time consuming if you desire a look that doesn't look repaired.

Other Considerations

The time and work required may vary and can depend on the quality of the replacement material. When buying new floors it is always preferred you keep additional material. What many do not realize is the importance of where it is stored. Leaning an extra box against a wall in the garage for instance, exposed to unpredictable moisture changes throughout the years will distort the original shape of the flooring, especially longer engineered wide planks. In some cases the hardwood cannot be used.

When storing, always always try to lay any extras flat in a controlled environment, or an area that has more stable moisture levels. Always keep it off of concrete subfloors as well. Otherwise moisture from concrete over the years can affect it.

Repair Costs

Professional labor costs will always vary. For a few prefinished board repairs some may charge as much as $ 100-150 per board, while others may include the amount of labor involved or a flat minimum. Can't find any leftover hardwood for the job? Depending on the time since the original installation it may have been discontinued (exception unfinished). The store or installer that handled the original work may have some leftover in their warehouse. Calling around to other stores that still handle the line may also be useful, but trying to get someone to listen to your needs may be another issue. Good Luck.

Hardwood Floor Underlayment? Yes or No

NOTE: this is Not a discussion of underlay required for "floating floors" but rather only in reference to installing nail down solid hardwood flooring!
Do I need to put tar paper or wax paper over my subfloor before traditional installation of hardwood flooring? The answer is NO! At least not under normal conditions.
This is probably a question I get asked every week by various home owners that are interesting in installing their own hardwood flooring. Let me suggest first and foremost that felt paper does NOT stop squeaks! It seems to me that this is the most common consumer understanding on why paper is used when installing hardwood flooring, but I'll discuss that a little more, further down the article.
So then the obvious question, considering that we KNOW installers have been using felt paper under hardwood flooring for many years, is why did they do it? Well, I have asked every installer I have come in contact with for the last 20 years and here's their most logical answers...

1. the tar paper prevents moisture migrating from a damp basement up into the underside of hardwood flooring... but how many people have a damp basement today?
   
   In older days, the basement was an infrequently used crawl space with only a earth base, so moisture was an issue... today the basement is usually a fully finished living space with the same environmental conditions as the rest of the house... sooo there is no moisture to keep out of the flooring If you are installing flooring above a damp crawl space then certainly using tar paper as a moisture barrier is a great idea. But maybe a better idea is to consider other flooring options that are more able to deal with high moisture conditions.
2. In the old days subfloors were traditionally made of rough lumber. Installation of hardwood flooring using wax paper was common, to prevent the slivers from the rough lumber getting caught between the tongue and groove connection of the neighbourhood boards of hardwood flooring. If a sliver of wood got caught between the boards then it would leave cracks and make wood floor installation more difficult.
   
   Today we always use oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood as the subfloor so dealing with the fibers of rough lumber is rarely an issue... and NOT a reason to use a hardwood floor underlayment or wax paper.

As pointed out earlier, many suggest that we should install felt paper to stop squeaks--- Felt Paper does not stop squeaks--- usually squeaks are caused by
1. subfloor (plywood) movement against floor joists (especially in cases where bracing has been removed to install air ducting)
2. strips of hardwood flooring moving against each other, particularly when nails have been spaced too far apart or tongues broken during installation.
Felt paper will NOT help either of these conditions.
Thus make a decision that makes sense given your particular job site issues and don't work under the illusion that underlay paper is an easy solution to moisture migration or squeaking in hardwood flooring installation. If you want to use it, go for it. Its not expensive. But deal with squeaking and moisture as separate issues.
As a last point, I really don't like using tar paper as a hardwood floor underlayment under any conditions as my personal hangup is that it adds toxins to the home environment that I don't want to breath. If its not necessary then why expose your body to this element!




Source: http://www.woodsthebest.com/Flooring/installPaperUnderlay.htm

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