How thick should Plywood be to walk on?

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No matter what the spacing is on your ceiling joists, 3/4-inch plywood should be used if you plan on walking on it. If you plan on placing the plywood around the perimeter of the opening or door and using it only to store light boxes or materials, 1/2-inch-thick plywood should suffice.



Considering this, is plywood strong enough to walk on?

You need 3/4-inch plywood. The thinner plywood is acceptable when the joist spacing is 16 inches. Thinner plywood can flex when you walk on it -- even with 16-inch spacing -- and this will damage the flooring.

Beside above, how thick should my subfloor be? the subfloors need to be thicker. For joist spacing of more than 16 inches up to 19.2 inches on center, the minimum thickness for both plywood and OSB is 3/4 inch. For joists spaced more than 19.2 inches on center, the minimum thickness for plywood is 7/8 inch and for OSB, 1 inch.

Keeping this in view, how thick should plywood flooring be?

The National Wood Flooring Association recommends a minimum plywood panel thickness of 7/8-inch for joist spans of 19.2 to 24 inches, and a minimum plywood panel thickness of 5/8-inch for joist spans of 16 inches or less.

What is the actual thickness of 1/2 plywood?

Typically, the actual thickness of plywood is 1/32 inch less than the nominal thickness.

Nominal and Actual Thickness.

Nominal Thickness Actual Thickness
1/2” 15/32”
5/8” 19/32”
3/4” 23/32”
1-1/8” 1-1/8”

39 Related Question Answers Found

How much weight can a 3/4 plywood shelf hold?

If the customer wants them that long, then you need to build the shelves thicker by laminating two layers. I don't normally build shelves longer than 36" and at that, I build them thicker to carry heavier loads. My limit for 3/4" plywood shelves is 32", and I think that is pushing it for heavier objects.

How much weight can 3/4 OSB support?

Medium OSB
Panels of OSB that are 23/32- and 3/4-inch-thick, set on joists 24 inches OC, can bear 100 psi live weight and 10 psi dead weight. Panels that are 7/8-inch and 1-inch-thick, mounted on joists 32 inches OC, can bear 100 psi live weight and 10 psi dead weight.

What are the 3 types of plywood?

Different varieties of plywood exist for different applications:
  • Softwood plywood.
  • Hardwood plywood.
  • Tropical plywood.
  • Aircraft plywood.
  • Decorative plywood (overlaid plywood)
  • Flexible plywood.
  • Marine plywood.
  • Other plywoods.

How much weight can a 2x4 hold?


How much weight can a 2x4 support vertically? Assuming that the load is square and there is no wind, the average 8 feet 2x4 could handle around 1,000 pounds vertically. Of course, it's wise not to push the material up to its limit, use brace and alike to secure the 2x4s whenever it's needed.

How much is a 4x8 sheet of plywood?

Cabinet Grade Plywood
Thickness Type Price
1/4" Oak Plywood $25.97
1/2" Oak Plywood $42.97
1/2" Birch (3 ply) $41.97
3/4" Birch (5 ply) $44.97

What is the hardest plywood?

If you ever wondered “what is the strongest plywood?” The answer is Marine plywood. It is the strongest and toughest of all plywood on the market. It is bonded with high-quality glues to make the plies structurally solid and resistant to moisture.

Do plywood floors hold up?

Durable for Any Environment
Because it is engineered with many layers, plywood flooring is strong, stable and durable.

What is the best plywood to use for flooring?


While OSB is the most popular structural panel, CDX plywood is the most popular type of traditional or "veneer" plywood. CDX plywood is like other laminate plywoods, but the outer layers of laminate are grades "C" and "D," which means they are cosmetically rough and contain many imperfections, thus lowering their cost.

Should I use OSB or plywood for subfloor?

The National Tile Contractors Association and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute both recommend plywood for subflooring and underlayment, because it doesn't have the risk of swollen edges that OSB does. Plywood also has a slight advantage in stiffness, which means that subflooring panels need not be quite as thick.

How much does plywood flooring cost?

Plywood Subfloor Cost
Plywood costs around $22 per 4' x 8' panel. That equates to around $1.50 per square foot for a 5/8" panel. For a 306-square-foot room, that's a total of $459.

How many layers of plywood do you need for a subfloor?

Personally, I would also make sure the floor joists are close enough together to give good support. Two plywood layers would span 24 inches in most cases, but if you want to get by with one layer, spacing the joists at 16 inch centers will give you a better floor.

Do you have to use tongue and groove plywood for subfloor?

For subflooring, you use tongue and groove plywood. The tongue and groove are only along the 8 foot edges. On the four foot edges, your seams will fall on joist tops, so no need for tongue and groove.

What type of screws to use for subfloor?


Steel Screws
The proper steel screw sizes for securing 3/4-inch plywood to the floor joists are #8, #10 and #12 screws. The number refers to the thickness of the screw. Each is available in lengths from 1 1/4 to 3 inches. Typically, the 3-inch variety is used to secure plywood subfloors.

What is the best material for subfloor?

Plywood has been a standard subfloor material since the 1950s and remains the preferred subflooring for many builders. Standard plywood can be used for subfloors, but a better material is 3/4-inch tongue-and-groove plywood subflooring.