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.

Is a moisture barrier necessary for wood floors.

The underlayment provides many benefits including moisture protection sound and thermal insulation and a cushion to make the floor more comfortable to walk on. You don t want wood to wood. A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter. Resolution of the vapor barrier debate.

When installing certain types of flooring such as sheet vinyl the. Is it necessary or would you just make sure the. Typically we recommend visqueen vapor barrier underlayment on a cement subfloor where there is a concern of moisture coming up from the subfloor. Moisture barriers are for going over concrete or to cover the top soil in a crawl space.

Anything else promotes dry rot. You absolutely do not use a vapor barrier over a wood substrate under a wood floor. Most authorities now agree that vapor barriers are important under certain conditions but not necessarily as a whole house solution for every home. Some debate still occurs over how necessary vapor barriers are but a consensus is growing closer.

It insulates and cushions the flooring making it more comfortable to walk on. A couple of the hardwood floor contractors recommended that a concrete sealer be installed prior to putting down new felt and plywood. 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. What is your thoughts on this.

In your case you don t need the vapor barrier. A moisture barrier is need to protect the flooring against moisture or moisture vapor. Asphalt felt or rosin paper as a slip sheet when on the second story of the residence. 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.

For moisture barriers there are three basic methods of protection. Moist concrete concrete may seem very dense but it is actually full of small pores that will absorb water from the ground. 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. The vapor barrier will prevent the moisture from coming through and protect your floor from mold and mildew.

But there are exceptions to this. I am in the process of laying hardwood floor on a subfloor approx. 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.

Along with the moisture barrier you may want to install an underlayment. To know if you need a vapor retarder ask yourself a few basic questions.