For your average residential floor, you have a visible layer of flooring, then an underlayment, and beneath it all is the subfloor- the structural base anchored to the joists of your house.

Here are the three most common materials used for the subfloor:

• Plywood
• Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
• Concrete

I've included this helpful comparison of plywood vs. OSB from thespruce.com.

Concrete is primarily used in ground-level construction, basements, and high-moisture areas. It is extremely durable and ideal for supporting heavy loads, especially in commercial and industrial spaces.

Your subfloor is also plays a big part in determining what type of flooring we recommend and how it will be installed. There are three main installation methods:

• Nail-down: nailing solid or engineered wood floors directly to a wood subfloor
• Glue-down: using an adhesive to adhere luxury vinyl or engineered hardwood to a wood or cement subfloor
• Floating: certain luxury vinyl and engineered hardwood collections operate as a tongue-in-groove system that clips together so that the flooring is basically floating above the subfloor (with a moisture barrier in between).

When you come into our showroom and discuss your project, we can usually provide a ballpark estimate for how much it will cost.

However, that estimate can change significantly based on our what our ops manager finds when he measures your space, assesses the subfloor, and the scope of the project.

For my overachievers, here are some things you can look/feel for before we even come to see your space:

• uneven areas
• squeaks
• soft spots
• cracks

Some other common issues can be caused simply by age (moisture, rot cracks, movement) or decisions made by the builder or former installer (old adhesives, problems with the moisture barrier, uneven joists).

The good news is that, no matter what curveballs your subfloor throws our way, we have a team of experts who will ensure that every detail is taken care of and your project is done right.