Sub-floors are often an overlooked part of a home build, especially since the flooring system isn’t visible to homeowners. But builders and contractors should take a closer look at the flooring choice the homeowner has selected in order to build a solid base. While it’s true the industry has been quietly innovating sub-flooring for greater strength and stiffness, it’s important to factor in recent flooring trends when selecting a sub-floor. Floor trends are tipping the scales toward much heavier flooring, requiring sub-flooring to be stiff enough to resist long-term bending and buckling.
Currently, each square foot of sub-flooring must accommodate 10 lb. of dead load and 30–40 lb. of live load while maintaining its structural integrity.
Commodity-grade sub-flooring provides good performance for small- and average-sized homes that use vinyl or laminate flooring. For example, floating vinyl flooring planks weigh approximately 2–2.3 lb./sq. ft. Add people and furniture, and live loads should be well under the 30–40 lb. limit.
However, according to Realtor.com, the biggest trends in flooring are:
And in luxury homes, these top choices are trending:
Whether you’re building or remodeling a new home or building luxury houses these flooring trends are adding significant weight to each square foot of the house, making sub-flooring for heavy tile and hardwood critical.
Typical total installation weights for luxury flooring can quickly exceed the 10 lb. dead load accommodation. For example, natural stone tile can weigh up to 23 lb./sq. ft. When calculating for heavy flooring, luxury furniture and people, live loads can quickly exceed support capacity. no question that stronger and stiffer premium sub-flooring can help spread the load across multiple joists—not only creating a solid feel underneath, but also helping to carry the load.
Choosing sub-flooring for tile and sub-flooring for hardwood
LP Legacy® Premium Sub-Flooring made with Gorilla Glue Technology® is a super durable, premium, strand-based composite wood panel designed for demanding sub-floor applications that require exceptional stiffness. It’s one of the toughest sub-flooring panels in the industry, providing the density and stability needed to support heavy stone and ceramic floors, exotic hardwoods, and other heavy flooring options. It’s the ideal sub-flooring for tile—especially heavy natural and ceramic stone—and the ideal sub-flooring for hardwood.
Want more information on the durability of LP Legacy Premium Sub-Flooring? Check this Q&A about its extreme durability testing.
Do you frequently build in regions with heavy rain or strong winds? 2021 is projected to be a severe storm season, which means your builds will need some extra reinforcement. Finding the most durable siding or building solution for your projects can be confusing. Thankfully there are practical ways and durable products to help prevent damage and help protect against harsh weather so you can be prepared before the storm season arrives.
Continue ReadingYou’re likely building more smaller houses than you were about five years ago. Homeowners across the country want affordability, energy efficiency, or simply less home to clean and maintain so they have the weekend to explore—or they’re empty nesters. Whatever the reason, they still want their small home exterior to have maximum curb appeal and have all the charm and pizzazz of a larger home.
Green building has moved from a trending industry practice to an industry standard. With the growth in demand for sustainable practices, there are a host of initiatives surrounding green building codes and standards. Keeping track of these standards can be difficult. We’ve created a resource for building professionals to refer to as you navigate the world of green building.
New trends in house siding often go beyond different styles and siding color ideas. Many of your clients will be interested in how to create curb appeal, and that’s where gable siding comes in. With endless design variations, gable end siding can help your clients elevate their home’s exterior and boost curb appeal.