What Are Sleepers In Flooring

Most basements have concrete floors which have the potential to draw moisture.

What are sleepers in flooring.

Nail the finished flooring to the sleepers through the film. Moisture can cause floors to warp and provide a breeding ground for mold. To make low flooring framing that will conserve headroom lay pressure treated 2x4s sleepers flat and cover them with 3 4 inch tongue and groove osb underlayment or exterior plywood. There are two ways to handle insulating concrete floors.

Cure the moisture problem before you install the floor. Install maple flooring parallel with main playing court by nailing or stapling approximately 12 o c. You can also use sleepers on a wooden floor frame. Either line them up directly over the joists that lie beneath the subfloor or run them perpendicular to the joists.

Measure and cut the sleepers as you would for a concrete floor but position the sleepers in one of two ways. Headroom especially in a basement may be at a premium. Or as specified by the flooring manufacturer. Decking laid directly over packed soil will rot quickly and wood laid over concrete rots as well when moisture is trapped between the two materials.

Or as demonstrated here you can cover the slab with rigid foam insulation add two layers of plywood and then add the finish flooring. Sleepers are placed between the deck surface and the ground or slab below it. Flooring is considered acclimated when the moisture difference between the wood and the subfloor material is within 4 for flooring less than 3 in width. Subfloor sleeper are used in basements to protect certain types of flooring such as laminate hardwood and carpet.

Attach with nails or staples 12 o c. Avoid a sleeper layout where the boards are parallel to the joists. You can attach wood sleepers to the floor fill the gaps with rigid foam insulation and then apply your finish flooring.