• Sub flooring supports the house.new interior 4 image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
  
  The floor is the back bone of your home and finding the right type of sub flooring can be a challenge. It must protect from moisture and support the weight of your house and your family. Not having the correct type of sub flooring for your floor can cause damage in later years. There are four main types of sub floors available for use.
  
  

Plywood

• Plywood is a type of subfloor used in homes today for exterior use. It's made from thin sheet of wood veneer, cross-laminated and glued together forming 4x8 ft. sheets. This material interlocks to each sheet providing a secure base for a finished floor. The Living with My Home website suggests that composite plywood, also called Com-Ply, is another popular choice. Wood and laminated flooring can be installed over this subfloor.
  
  

Plank

• This type of sub floor is found in older homes. The planks are made from southern yellow pine boards made up of ¾ inch thick x 4-8 inches wide. Solid and floating wood floors are installed across this sub floor. Laminated flooring is installed over a ¾ inch thick plank sub floor over the recommended foam pad as long as it is flat.
  
  

Oriented Stran Board (OSB)

• OSB can be described as a bunch of wood chips glued together. Gluing or nailing is ways to install this sub floor to the floor joists. If it flexes up and down when walking on it add an additional layer of 3/8 inch or ½ inch thick plywood underlayment to add more stability. Floating engineered wood floor can be installed directly to the OSB.
  
  

Concrete Slabs

• The slabs consist of a 4-6 inch thick 3,500-5,500 lb. strength concrete pour. Newly poured slabs with water used in mixture can take up to three months or more to dry out. Prior to any installation of hardwood flooring moisture testing should be performed. At different times of the year depending on ground water tables the slabs can emit excessive moisture. Prior to pouring the concrete slabs install four to six mil plastic to help retard moisture transfer later. Solid flooring cannot be glued or nailed to the concrete. Flooring to install on concrete slabs are floating engineered wood floors.