Is A Moisture Barrier Necessary For Wood Floors

Most authorities now agree that vapor barriers are important under certain conditions but not necessarily as a whole house solution for every home.

Is a moisture barrier necessary for wood floors.

A moisture barrier may or may not be needed to insure good adhesion of your vinyl floor so do your homework to avoid problems later on down the road. Along with the moisture barrier you may want to install an underlayment. I am in the process of laying hardwood floor on a subfloor approx. You don t want wood to wood.

The warranty may require it. To know if you need a vapor retarder ask yourself a few basic questions. Typically we recommend visqueen vapor barrier underlayment on a cement subfloor where there is a concern of moisture coming up from the subfloor. Is it necessary or would you just make sure the.

The original hardwood floors 2 1 4 white oak were installed on top of 5 8 plywood which sits on 15 felt as a vapor barrier. 800 sq ft and have received conflicting information about where i should use a moisture sound barrier or glue down with nails w o the moisture barrier. In circumstances where conditions inside a home or office are much different than outdoor conditions water. An underlayment is a necessity for any wood floor installation even on a plywood subfloor.

When installing certain types of flooring such as sheet vinyl the. When you live in a damp climate with a crawl space under the floor a lot of things have to be done to prevent moisture from the ground from entering the hardwood floor. Resolution of the vapor barrier debate. A moisture barrier is need to protect the flooring against moisture or moisture vapor.

A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter. The underlayment provides many benefits including moisture protection sound and thermal insulation and a cushion to make the floor more comfortable to walk on. In your case you don t need the vapor barrier. Whether or not you need a vapor retarder hinges on three main factors your climate your home and the location of the wall you re insulating.

Anything else promotes dry rot. What is your thoughts on this. For moisture barriers there are three basic methods of protection. But there are exceptions to this.

It insulates and cushions the flooring making it more comfortable to walk on. And it is always the moisture difference between one side of the board and the other that cause warping. Moisture barriers are for going over concrete or to cover the top soil in a crawl space. Some debate still occurs over how necessary vapor barriers are but a consensus is growing closer.

Moist concrete concrete may seem very dense but it is actually full of small pores that will absorb water from the ground. A couple of the hardwood floor contractors recommended that a concrete sealer be installed prior to putting down new felt and plywood.