Choosing a Commercial Flooring Product

For any project manager, the need to find a balance between material costs and quality is a daily headache.

Choosing cheaper commercial flooring product A over B could be a stroke of budgeting genius, or a misstep that results in an expensive replacement order down the track.

Sub flooring is an example of this conundrum. Sub flooring can be made from materials including CFC, particleboard and plywood. But which is best? Is it safer to stick with structural ply or would particleboard do the job?

Let's look at the pros and cons of sub flooring materials in a commercial flooring situation, including moisture resistance, strength and relative cost.

Particle board floor construction

Particle board sub flooring is used to cover large areas quickly and cheaply. It provides a base for the installation of carpet or a floating timber floor.

The material, also known as chipboard, is made from wood flakes or chips bonded together with synthetic resin and compressed into sheets.

Advantages for floor construction are that particle board is cheap compared to plywood or hardwood, it's light and can be made from renewable plantation pine. It’s available in square-edged sheet form, but most commercial flooring products are fitted with plastic tongued and grooved edges.

Disadvantages are that it absorbs moisture and swells, although wax emulsion can be included in the resin for a moisture resistant product. Particle board can also be treated to make it resistant to termites. Even so, particle board should not be used in circumstances where continual wetting is anticipated.

Plywood

Plywood is stronger than particle board, thanks to its layered wood veneer construction. Each thin veneer of soft or hardwood is laid so that its grain runs at right angles to the layer above and below. The veneers are then glued with A, B or C type glues, with A being the most and C the least water-resistant.

Its construction makes plywood a stronger and more moisture resistant material than particle board for sub flooring. Like particleboard, plywood flooring has a groove machined into both sides with a plastic tongue for easy connection.  

However, plywood is more expensive because the manufacturing process requires intact veneers rather than shredded fibres or off cuts. It’s also more difficult to cut, which can slow down the installation process.

Structural grades of plywood

Plywood for flooring has different grades based on its appearance. A and B faces are appearance grade, which means they are blemish free in the case of A and sanded smooth. A-grade plywood has no surface knots or discolouration, while B has some.

C and D-grade are non-appearance faces – they’re not sanded and have visual and material defects like severe discolouration, knots and knot holes.

For instance, sub floor ply may be A Bond (glue type) with a D-grade face and back, which means the surface will have blemishes. However, aesthetics are not a concern since the sub flooring will be overlaid.

Structural plywood is graded according to strength, with ‘F’ grades F4 to F34. The F ratings refer to the force the product can take without bending beyond an acceptable limit. An F11 stress grade plywood suitable for sub flooring is graded at 11 MPa, which means it can take pressure of 112.2kgf/cm2 and remain within acceptable parameters.

Compressed fibre cement (CFC)

For the ultimate in moisture resistant sub flooring, compressed fibre cement (CFC) products are the best choice. Any engineered timber product is going to be susceptible to moisture and swelling as it’s made of wood fragments glued together.

Fibre cement flooring comes in various thicknesses, with brands including CSR Cemintel, HardiePanel and BGC Fibre Cement Sheets.

These sheets are resistant to fire, rot, termites and moisture. Inside, they are ideal as sub flooring for wet areas like bathrooms and laundries. They are also popular as top floor finishes for outdoor decks and patios, since they will not warp in the sun and cannot splinter.

A durable, strong sub flooring material, CFC is nevertheless expensive compared to other materials and labour intensive to install. A cheaper, easier to install option is pre-machined tongue and groove CFC sheeting. It’s about 30% less labour intensive to install than regular sheets.

Tile underlay

Finally, there’s tile underlay. In this case, flat, durable fibre cement sheeting sits on top of particle board or ply sub flooring. Ceramic tiles are glued directly to it. It is water resistant and relatively cheap, taking little time to install.

Choosing the sub flooring material that suits your project saves money and installation time. For example, an expensive high grade plywood is not necessary for bathroom sub flooring, where particle board with a tile underlay suffices.

Contact Parker Precision to discuss which commercial flooring products are best for your project, and how to make a decision that offers cost and quality benefits for your client. t now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.