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Why Only Professionals Should Overboard Your Wooden Floor with Structural Plywood

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Structural plywood refers to plywood that has been made to be very strong. There is no attention to esthetics since the plywood will be installed where it is not visible (such as on wooden floors before tiles are laid over them). Overboarding refers to the process of placing a thin layer of materials such as plywood on a floor in order to make it thicker or more stable before tiles are installed on that floor. This article discusses some of the potential problems that you can avoid when you let flooring professionals overboard your wooden floor.

Trip Hazards

It may not be easy for a layperson to calculate the thickness of the structural plywood that he or she should use to overboard a wooden floor before installing tiles on that floor. As a result, you may use plywood that is much thicker than would have been appropriate. Consequently, there will be a significant difference between the level of the floor of that room relative to other rooms and that can cause family members to trip as they enter throom that has an elevated floor.

Poor Quality Plywood

Structural plywood is a natural product so it is available in varying quality. It is not easy to tell one quality of plywood from another unless you are a trained professional. If you select low-quality plywood then it may warp underneath the tiles you have just installed and the tiles will become loose or even break.

Companies like F.A. Mitchell & Company Pty Ltd offer a number of types of structural plywood, and a professional will better know which type to use for your home's needs.

Structural Plywood Sheets May Contact

Professional floor installers know how much space to leave between structural plywood sheets in order to allow room for expansion during high humidity periods. Such expansion space ensures that the sheets will remain separate and level even when humidity levels are at their highest. This prevents the grout from cracking once plywood sheets are exposed to humidity and swell.

Damage to Pipes and Cables

Structural plywood needs to be kept in place by the use of very many screws. An inexperienced person may end up damaging the water pipes or electrical cables that are running beneath the floor, and that may flood the home or electrocute the person working. A professional will know how to stagger the plywood edges in order to avoid hitting pipes or wires in the floor.

As you can see, the risks of wrong installation of the plywood overboard are very serious so you should hire a professional to perform the task of over-boarding your floor. 


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