Summary: Learn how to lay a plywood subfloor, lay a subfloor and cut plywood.
A subfloor will provide a smooth, level surface upon which to lay a floor covering. The type of wood board you use will depend on what the existing floor is made from and the type of floor covering you want to lay. The most common form of wooden subfloor is plywood. For heavy flooring, such as hard tiles the subfloor should be thick plywood, but for soft flooring (vinyl, carpet and soft tiles) thin plywood or even hardboard with the smooth side facing up will be sufficient.
Plywood comes in a variety of thicknesses: 4mm (1/6in), 6mm (1/4in), 9mm (2/3in), 12mm (1/2in) and 18mm (3/4in). It is also available in different size sheets. If you are laying a subfloor over a large area, the larger the sheet the quicker you will cover the floor.
A plywood subfloor will raise the floor's height and prevent doors from opening smoothly, so be aware that you may need to make alterations to any doors that open into the room.
Ensure you stagger the joints, leaving an expansion gap between the edge of the board and the skirting.
Mark the shape of the obstacle on the frayed paper and transfer this to your board.
Join an existing conversation or create a new thread related to Floors and stairs in our DIY forum.