There are two main types of floors: raised floors that are wood framed, and floors built on concrete slabs. Beneath a raised, finished floor there is generally a subfloor, supported by joists and beams, posts, and, in a two-story house, bearing walls. Joists may have solid or diagonal bridging between them to provide extra strength. A slab is just a flat, thick surface of concrete poured on the ground.
If you are installing new flooring or making repairs to existing floors, you may need to know what kind of subfloor you have. A raised subfloor is typically constructed from 1-by-4 or 1-by-6 lumber or 4-by-8-foot plywood panels. With a lumber subfloor, boards are laid diagonally across joists. A plywood subfloor's panels are nailed to the joists, laid with the ends butted together. On a concrete slab, a plywood subfloor is typically laid over wood 2-by-4 sleepers that are fastened to the slab. |
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