Flooring Plywood Thickness

Plywood is the most common type of subflooring.

Flooring plywood thickness.

The most common thickness of plywood is 1 2 inch but plywood thickness can range from 1 8. What is the actual thickness of a sheet of plywood. This type of plywood won t sag when used on a 12 inches joist structure. The thickness of your plywood subfloor depends on the joist spans.

Plywood makes up most of the walls and floors in attics and are sometimes found in laundry rooms closets and other unfinished areas in the home. Usually manufactured in 4 by 8 foot sheets plywood panels and osb are acceptable subfloors for hardwood flooring as long as they are the proper thickness. The thickness of plywood panels in a subfloor is regulated by the. The subfloor is the decking installed on top of flooring joists.

The thickness needed for subflooring depends on the type of floor that will go on top and the primary purpose for the subfloor. X 96 in plywood is a powerful structural product plywood is a powerful structural product used where strength and stiffness are required for subfloors wall or roof sheathing and do it yourself projects. The recommended thickness of the plywood subfloor is governed by the spacing of the joists. A 3 4 sheet is actually 23 32 thick.

The recommended shed floor plywood thickness is 3 4 inch pressure treated exterior grade cdx plywood. Plywood is made of layers of thin sheets of veneer in alternating wood grain directions which increases the. Plywood is often sold in 1 4 1 2 or 3 4 nominal thicknesses but the actual thickness is often 1 32 thinner. Fir sheathing plywood actual.

Some experts suggest that 15 32 inch plywood should be standard if the underlying floor joists are spaced 16 inches apart or less but slightly thicker 3 4 inch plywood should be used for joists spaced further apart. Because the actual thickness may vary measuring the plywood is the only accurate way to determine its thickness. Keep in mind that for mechanically fastened floors osb doesn t hold fasteners as well as plywood so you need to use a thicker material to get the same holding power. The national wood flooring association recommends a minimum plywood panel thickness of 7 8 inch for joist spans of 19 2 to 24 inches and a minimum plywood panel thickness of 5 8 inch for joist spans of 16 inches or less.

When used in flooring plywood functions as the subfloor that supports hardwoods tile and carpet floors. The minimum thickness allowed for ceramic tile installations is two sheets of 5 8 inch thick plywood. The finished floor is then installed on top of the subfloor.