What Kind of Wood Is Best to Lay Before Laying Linoleum?

Preparation

• Before laying linoleum, you need to prepare the subfloor to prevent moisture from collecting between the wood and the linoleum. Moisture stays trapped and can cause the linoleum to bubble and curl as the glue becomes unstable. Use a protective layer of plastic material to form a vapor barrier between the concrete slab and the wood subfloor if you are laying linoleum in a basement. In bathrooms and kitchens, make sure all pipes and faucets operate properly to avoid leaks. Although thicker hardwoods are more resistant to water damage, any wood eventually will deteriorate if it gets wet. Treated wood may resist water seepage, leaving a layer of moisture that will degrade the adhesiveness of your linoleum glue.

Quality

• Since you won’t see the wood underneath the linoleum, you don’t have to choose a high-grade solid wood before laying the covering. Multi-ply plywood is sufficient and provides a sturdy surface on which the linoleum can adhere. Multi-ply boards are thick enough to prevent soft spots and do not warp like lower grade, single-ply boards. Multi-ply boards take an even coating of glue that can be smoothed over to prevent bubbling.

Size

• To achieve a smooth and resilient surface on which you can effectively lay your linoleum, use ¼-inch thick multi-ply boards. The thickness ensures that the subflooring doesn’t bubble up. You can lay the plywood over an existing floor instead of removing old vinyl coverings. Keep in mind that your floor will raise ¼ inch, which may affect how the floor butts up against existing cabinets. You may need to raise cabinets or trim the bottom of doors once the floor is raised.

Acclimation

• Multi-ply ¼-inch thick, above-grade quality plywood needs to acclimate to the environment before you install it. Place the boards in the room where they will be installed for at least 48 hours so they can contract or expand according to the humidity and temperature of the room. Once the boards acclimate to the environment, lay them down to completely cover the floor before attaching them to the subflooring. Linoleum does not provide any support and should be laid over wood that leaves no cracks between the boards. At the same time, you may need to flip some of the boards if they have large knots or other deficiencies that may affect the glue and the smoothness of the linoleum. Once the boards are accurately placed, screw or nail them in place. Make sure screw and nail heads are completely flush with the plywood before laying linoleum.