Using Subfloor As Finished Floor

Different plywoods use various materials and methods of manufacture depending on the application for which they re intended.

Using subfloor as finished floor.

The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. A humped threshold from the hall to the bathroom for example. Drawbacks include a thinner less insulated floor and a less durable surface than other flooring types. In many older houses the pine subfloor was the only floor and it held up well.

During home construction a builder installs subflooring to provide a solid level foundation for finished flooring such as tile wood vinyl or linoleum. I will not use any flooring that floats simply because you need to make clumsy transitions from it to another type of floor. An underlayment is a thin layer of material sandwiched between two other materials. Just under the visible floor covering is a layer of some kind of material usually only about 1 4 or 1 2 inch thick.

Plywood is usually used as subfloor today. On wood frame floors the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. Subflooring is the rough unfinished floor beneath a finished floor sometimes referred to as a blind floor. Over the subfloor there is an underlayment that smooths out the subfloor and provides a flat level surface for the finished flooring surface.

This is the layer that you see and walk on. Not bad for any finished wood floor. As important as economy is even more important to me is the way the product is installed. Its purpose is to provide a smooth flat surface for the floor covering.

There are many types sizes and configurations of plywood. This is the finished visible flooring surface such as hardwood planks carpeting ceramic tile or vinyl. Unlike the subfloor this is not a structural element and it provides no strength to the floor. Uncovered pine subflooring appeals to recycling enthusiasts as well as fans of distressed wood.

In basements and in homes with slab on grade foundations the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab. Yes you can use pine subfloors as primary flooring.