Georgia-Pacific APA Engineered Wood Floors User Manual

Engineered Wood

C O N S T R U C T I O N G U I D E

Engineered Wood Construction Guide

©2011 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOC IATION • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • ANY COPYING, MODIFI CATION, DISTRIBUTION OR OTHER USE OF THIS PUBLICATION OTHER THAN AS EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED BY APA IS PROHIBITED BY THE U.S. COPYRIGHT LAWS.

Engineered wood products are a good choice for the environment. They are

manufactured for years of trouble-free, dependable use. They help reduce waste

by decreasing disposal costs and product damage. Wood is a renewable resource

that is easily manufactured into a variety of viable products.

A few facts about wood.

■

We’re growing more wood every day. Forests fully cover one-third of the

United States’ and one-half of Canada’s land mass. American landowners

plant more than two billion trees every year. In addition, millions of trees seed

naturally. The forest products industry, which comprises about 15 percent of

forestland ownership, is responsible for 41 percent of replanted forest acreage.

That works out to more than one billion trees a year, or about three million trees planted every

day. This high rate of replanting accounts for the fact that each year, 27 percent more timber is

grown than is harvested. Canada’s replanting record shows a fourfold increase in the number of

trees planted between 1975 and 1990.

■

A 200 4 Consort ium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materia ls

(CORRIM) study gave scientific validation to the strength of wood as a

green building product. In examining building products’ life cycles – from

extraction of the raw material to demolition of the building at the end of its

long lifespan – CORRIM found that wood was better for the environment than steel or concrete

in terms of embodied energy, global warming potential, air emissions, water emissions and solid

waste production. For the complete details of the report, visit www.CORRIM.org.

■

Manufactur ing wood is energ y effic ient.

Wood products made up 47 percent of all

industrial raw materials manufactured in the

United States, yet consumed only 4 percent of the

energy needed to manufacture all industrial raw

materials, according to a 1987 study.

■

Good news for a healthy planet. For every ton of wood grown, a young forest

produces 1.07 tons of oxygen and absorbs 1.47 tons of carbon dioxide.

WOOD

The Natural Choice

Life Cycle Assessment shows wood is the greenest building product.

Percent of Percent of Material Production Energy Use

Wood 47 4

Steel 23 48

Aluminum 2 8

Wood: It’s the natural choice for the environment, for design and for strong,

lasting construction.

NOT ICE :

The recommendations

in this guide apply only

to products that bear

the APA trademark.

Only products bearing

the APA trademark

are subject to the

Association’s quality

auditing program.

Engineered Wood Construction Guide

APA engineered wood products are used in a wide range of construction applications. Time-tested panel products are used in traditional wood-frame construction and in combination with other engineered wood products and systems. For low in-place cost, versatility, and superior performance, engineered wood systems are simply hard to beat.

This guide from APA is designed as a reference manual for both residential and commercial construction. It contains up-to-date information on APA Performance Rated panels, glulam, I-joists, structural composite lumber, specification practices, floor, wall and roof systems, diaphragms and shear walls, fire-rated systems and methods of finishing.

If what you want to know about engineered wood construction systems isn’t fully explained here, chances are it is in one of our many other publications. Titles cited throughout this publication can be downloaded or ordered from the APA website, at www.apawood.org. Or, for individual assistance with specific application questions or problems, contact the APA Product Support Help Desk at (253) 620-7400.

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION

Engineered wood floor systems give builders and designers strength, dependable perfor-

mance and design f lexibility. A variety of floor framing and wood structural panel products

can be used in floor construc-

tion. To select the appropriate products and floor design, it is

essential to define the predicted loads and to consider both the

structural requirements and

compatibility with the finish floor requirements. Table 10

shows the most common fin-

ish floor products and the floor

systems that are typically recom-

mended for each.

APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor

APA RATED STURD-I-FLOOR is

a span-rated APA proprietary product designed specifically for

use in single-layer floor construc-

tion beneath carpet and pad. The product provides all of the proven

cost-saving and performance

benefits of combined subf loor-

underlayment construction. It is

manufactured in conformance with APA PRP-108 Performance

Standards and /or Voluntary

TABLE 10

TYPICAL PANEL FLOOR SPECIFICATIONS BASED ON FINISH FLOOR INSTALLATIONS (All must meet minimum structural requirements

Finish Floor Typical Panel

Carpet and Pad Single layer of APA

Hardwood Flooring Single layer of APA

Vinyl (or other thin

resilient floor covering)

or Glue-down Carpet

Ceramic Tile

(a) Floor Span Rating must equal or exceed

joist spacing.

(b) Refer to www.apawood.org for installation

specifics and alternate installation combinations.

sanded face. Plywood Rated Sturd-I-Floor is underlayment with a span rating.

(d) Minimum Performance Category 19/32

plywood APA Sturd-I-Floor Sheathing. Minimum Performance Category 23/32 OSB APA Sturd-I-Floor or APA Rated Sheathing. See APA Technical Note: APA

Performance Rated Panel Subfloors Under Hardwood Flooring, Form R280.

Installation

Rated Sturd-I-Floor

with T&G edges

Rated Sturd-I-Floor

or APA Rated Sheathing

APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor or APA Rated Sheathing

Exposure 1 plus minimum

Performance Category 1/4

APA Underlayment

Sanded Face Exposure 1

(g)

Two layers minimum

Performance Category

19/32 APA Rated Sturd-I-

(c)

Floor

(c)

or APA Rated

(b)

Example Specification

APA Sturd-I-Floor 24 oc

Exposure 1 T&G (for joists

spaced 24 inches o.c. or less)

APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor

Exposure 1 or 48/24 APA Rated Sheathing Exposure 1 (for joists

spaced 24 inches o.c. or less)

APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor

24 oc Exposure 1 or APA Rated

Sheathing 48/24 Exposure 1

(for joists spaced 24 inches o.c.

(e)

or less). Cover with 1/4-inch (or

thicker) APA Underlayment

Sanded Face Exposure 1

Two layers of minimum

Performance Category 19/32

plywood APA Rated Sturd-I-

Exposure 1

(c)

Floor

20 oc Exposure 1 (for joists

spaced 16 inches o.c. or less)

(e) APA Underlayment is always plywood. (f) For rough floors, specify minimum Perfor-

mance Category 11/32 APA Underlayment

(g) For other specialty flooring products, including

marble and slate, please refer to the finish floor manufacturer’s recommendations. Enhanced structural performance may be required for ceramic and natural stone floor products. See Tile Council of North America (TCNA)

Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation

(www.tileusa.com).

(a)

of IBC or IRC)

(b)

24 oc

(c)

(d)

(f)

(c)

Floor Construction

Product Standard PS 1 or PS 2. Plywood APA STURD-I-FLOOR meets PS 1 Underlayment specifications, but in addition to

qualifying as underlayment, STURD-I-FLOOR carries a Span Rating (thin underlayment carries no Span Rating). STURDI-FLOOR is easy to use and specify because the maximum recommended spacing of floor joists – or Span Rating – is stamped

on each panel. Panels are manufactured with Span Ratings of 16, 20, 24, 32 and 48 inches. These assume use of the panel

continuous over two or more spans with the long panel dimension or strength axis across supports.*

TABLE 11

(d)

screw-shank

(a)

Fastening: Glue-Nailed

Nail Size

and Type

6d ring- or

8d ring- or

screw-shank

Maximum Spacing (in.)

Supported

(e)

Panel Edges

(h)

(g)

(j)

(h)

6 12

6 (k)

(b)

(c)

Intermediate

(f)

Supports

and Type

6d ring- or

screw-shank

6d ring- or

screw-shank

6d ring- or

screw-shank

8d ring- or

screw-shank

8d ring- or

screw-shank

8d ring- or

screw-shank

(e) See Table 5, page 14, for nail dimensions. (f) Supported panel joints shall occur approximately along the center-

line of framing with a minimum bearing of 1/2 inch. Fasten panels 3/8 inch from panel edges.

(g) 8d common nails may be substituted if ring- or screw-shank nails

are not available.

(h) Check with local building official; some local jurisdictions permit

nail spacing at 12 inches oc. (i) Maximum joist spacing for 20 oc Span Rating is 19.2 inches. (j) 10d common nails may be substituted with Performance Category

1-1/8 panels if supports are well seasoned. (k) Space nails maximum 6 inches for 48-inch spans and 12 inches

for 32-inch spans.

Fastening: Nailed-Only

Nail Size

(e)

Panel Edges

(j)

Maximum Spacing (in.)

Supported

Intermediate

(f)

6 12

6 (j)

(c)

Supports

APA RATED STURD-I-FLOOR

Span Rating

(Maximum

Joist

Spacing)

(in.)

Panel

Performance

Category

16 19/32, 5/8

(i)

19/32, 5/8

23/32, 3/4

7/8

32 7/8

48 1-3/32, 1-1/8

(a) Special conditions may impose heavy traffic and concentrated

loads that require construction in excess of the minimums shown. See page 43 for heavy-duty floor recommendations.

(b) Use only adhesives conforming to APA Specification AFG-01 or

ASTM D3498, applied in accordance with the adhesive manufacturer’s recommendations. If OSB panels with sealed surfaces and edges are to be used, use only solvent-based glues; check with panel manufacturer.

engineered as a diaphragm.

(d) Panels in a given Performance Category may be manufactured

in more than one Span Rating. Panels with a Span Rating greater than the actual joist spacing may be substituted for panels of the same Performance Category with a Span Rating matching the actual joist spacing. For example, Performance Category 19/32 Sturd-I-Floor 20 oc may be substituted for Performance Category 19/32 Sturd-I-Floor 16 oc over joists at 16 inches on center.

Glue-nailing is recommended for STURD-I-FLOOR panels, though panels may be nailed only. Recommendations for both

methods are given in Table 11. (See “The APA Glued Floor System,” page 35, for more detailed gluing recom mendations.)

Always protect smooth panel faces and tongue-and-groove edges from damage prior to and during application. Install with

smooth side up. Recom mended live loads are given in Table 12.

If long-term exposure to the weather is required, specify Exterior panels.

Although STURD-I-FLOOR is suitable for direct application of carpet and pad, an additional thin layer of underlayment is rec-

ommended under tile, sheet flooring or fully adhered carpet. This added layer restores a smooth surface over panels that may have been scuffed or roughened during construction, or that may not have received a suffi ciently sanded surface. When plywood

STURD-I-FLOOR with “sanded face” is specified, the surface is also suitable for direct application of resilient floor covering. If

a “sanded face” panel is to be used, however, care must be taken during construction to prevent damage or roughening of the sanded face. Tongue-and-groove edges are recommended to be glued under thin floor coverings to assure snug joints.

*Note: The Span Rating in the trademark applies when the long panel dimension or strength axis is across supports unless the strength axis is otherwise identified.

Floor Construction

TABLE 12

RECOMMENDED UNIFORM FLOOR LIVE LOADS FOR APA RATED STURD-I-FLOOR AND APA RATED SHEATHING WITH STRENGTH A XIS PERPENDICULAR TO SUPPORTS

Sturd-I-Floor

Span

Rating

16 oc

(e)

20 oc

24 oc 32 oc 48 oc

(a) Panels 24" or wider applied over two spans or more, dry; normal

load duration assumed. (b) 10 psf dead load assumed. Live load deflection limit is l/360. (c) 4x nominal or double 2x framing.

Sheathing

Span

Rating

24/16, 32/16

40/20

48/24

(f)

60/32

Minimum Panel

Performance

Georgia-Pacific APA Engineered Wood Floors User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION