# Rosin paper or 15# felt?



## ArmchairDIY (Oct 21, 2009)

Rosin paper.
Tar paper or felt can give off an oder. No need to make your living room smell like a blacktop parking lot in August.
Of course this is more of a problem if you have in floor heat.
Rosin paper is the industry standard though.


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## MI-Roger (Aug 8, 2009)

*Rosin Paper*

Roofing felt is sticky whereas Rosin Paper has a very smooth surface. Your wood floor will need to slide ever so slightly on the subfloor to avoid squeaks, the smooth Rosin Paper will allow this movement. 

Roofing felt will give you a lifetime of floor squeaks.


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## pinwheel45 (May 23, 2009)

The rules I go by are craft paper if the floor is over a basement & felt paper over a crawl space. No need for a moisture barrier over a basement, but necessary over a crawl space where hot & cold meet & can cause condensation.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Rosin is like your funny papers, except with a red dye not multicolored. If any moisture is below as over a crawl space or laundry , bathroom, etc., you need the vapor retarder that rosin does not have. This is Aquabar-B by Fortifiber at HD: http://www.contractortalk.com/f10/what-better-than-aquabar-b-57218/ http://www.fortifiber.com/aquabar_b.html


NO red rosin paper allowed per manufacturer; http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...FmGuuo&sig=AHIEtbRfavsQXrEGA8Ps2R_E90aeJSkd7Q

Be safe, Gary


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## Duane 70 (Sep 16, 2008)

*2 for paper - 2 for felt, now what????*

OK, so the replies so far are 2 recommend rosin paper and 2 recommend 15# felt. Now what??? Does the felt give off an odor after being laid? Of the replies so far, are any from experienced hardwood floor laying folks? Thanks again everybody for your time and replies on this matter. After looking at many websites, it seems to be split about 50/50 on whether to use rosin paper or felt over a crawl space. So I still don't which to purchase. I will be laying BR-111 5/16" thick solid wood, 3 1/8" wide. I just don't want to make a mistake.


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## pinwheel45 (May 23, 2009)

Duane 70 said:


> OK, so the replies so far are 2 recommend rosin paper and 2 recommend 15# felt. Now what??? Does the felt give off an odor after being laid? Of the replies so far, are any from experienced hardwood floor laying folks? Thanks again everybody for your time and replies on this matter. After looking at many websites, it seems to be split about 50/50 on whether to use rosin paper or felt over a crawl space. So I still don't which to purchase. I will be laying BR-111 5/16" thick solid wood, 3 1/8" wide. I just don't want to make a mistake.



I make my living laying hardwood & have for the last 15 years. If you've got a crawl space, use the felt paper. You need the moisture barrier to prevent condensation leaching into your flooring. Anytime you have hot air meeting cold air, you're going to get condensation. Don't worry about the odor, it really won't be a factor.


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## bob22 (May 28, 2008)

I guess these folks Hardwood Manufacturers Association know something and their advice:
http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/display_article.asp?ID=300


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## pinwheel45 (May 23, 2009)

bob22 said:


> I guess these folks Hardwood Manufacturers Association know something and their advice:
> http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/display_article.asp?ID=300



Maybe I misunderstood the original poster, but I thought he was laying over a crawlspace & not on a slab.


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## CaptChaos (Aug 10, 2009)

*Sounds Insulation?*

If you were installing the flooring on a second floor, would felt paper be a better choice for it's sound insulation if I wanted to reduce noise on the first floor?


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## pinwheel45 (May 23, 2009)

CaptChaos said:


> If you were installing the flooring on a second floor, would felt paper be a better choice for it's sound insulation if I wanted to reduce noise on the first floor?



If you want to reduce sound, spend the extra 50 cents a food & buy quiet walk & install under the hardwood. It does make a considerable difference.


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## CaptChaos (Aug 10, 2009)

pinwheel45 said:


> If you want to reduce sound, spend the extra 50 cents a food & buy quiet walk & install under the hardwood. It does make a considerable difference.


Wow, great -- never heard of this stuff before. Is this what you mean?

http://www.efloors.com/product/883/1204/1204/quiet-walk-underlayment-100-sf-roll.htm

Do you lay this in addition to rosin\felt or in stead of it?

Thanks!
-Cap'n


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## pinwheel45 (May 23, 2009)

CaptChaos said:


> Wow, great -- never heard of this stuff before. Is this what you mean?
> 
> http://www.efloors.com/product/883/1204/1204/quiet-walk-underlayment-100-sf-roll.htm
> 
> ...


That's it. No other underlayment needed.


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## pyper (Jul 1, 2009)

pinwheel45 said:


> I make my living laying hardwood & have for the last 15 years. If you've got a crawl space, use the felt paper. You need the moisture barrier to prevent condensation leaching into your flooring. Anytime you have hot air meeting cold air, you're going to get condensation. Don't worry about the odor, it really won't be a factor.



I have bamboo in two rooms, both over a crawlspace. We had the one room done by professionals, and I did the other. The professionals used craft paper, and I used 30# felt.

I never smelled the felt, other than when it was exposed to the room (before putting down the flooring). I went with the felt in part because the subfloor wasn't totally flat.

Several years later I can see that what the professionals put down is cupping a bit, but mine still looks new. Mine is quieter to walk on. Neither has any squeaks. The cupping isn't a problem -- much less than a mm., but I can see it when the light hits it at an angle. fwiw, the house is wetter under the part that has my work in it.


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## ArmchairDIY (Oct 21, 2009)

I didn't intend to cause any confusion, but tar paper (roofing felt) only would causes an oder issue if you have under floor heating. And even then it may not.
I threw that in my original post because I wanted everyone to be aware that it could possibly be an issue.


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

I'm by no means a professional floor layer but am currently building my log home myself. The first floor is over a crawl space so I intend to use 30-lb felt paper. Mostly because I already have it. I'll probably do the same in the loft, again because I already have the felt.


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## 26yrsinflooring (Jul 1, 2008)

Been installing a long time with 15 Felt under hardwood,I will not do a job without it, never smelled any odor, never heard a customer complain.
I had a long converstation with Tom Miraldi the CEO of Somerset Hardwoods about felt, could not pin him down on it.He said use what you feel comfortable with.
I few weeks later I did a Mohawk longstrip job, the basement, was damp, the floor we were going over was 8"x3/4 Pine slats from about 1930, you could see the basement throught the floor. I preinspected it and called Mohawk guess what they said... 15 mil Tarpaper.
Did a big job for a retailer back in the day, it was the sister of the jobsite owners house, one of 152 houses.
It was close to a new lake, no basement, 3 foot crawl space. I was they only one they wanted doing because.... I used tarpaper.
They say it has no moisture value but I say it does, use it you will be pleased.
Rosin paper.... we use that wrap our Christmas packages... never found a use for it on the floor..... oh yeah we used it one time to sweep our trash into...


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## Fingers (Feb 6, 2008)

BUMP! wanted to hear some more opinions


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I specify a cork underlayment whenever clients can afford it. It breathes, is natural and from a renewable resource, and really helps reduce noise.


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## Hall (Nov 24, 2009)

*#15 Felt contains carcinogens*

Don't know about U.S., but in Canada, the #15 Felt at Home Depot comes with a warning that materials used to make it contain known carcinogens.
I'm not sure that I would want that in my living space, so my vote is for rosin paper.


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## Fingers (Feb 6, 2008)

Hall said:


> Don't know about U.S., but in Canada, the #15 Felt at Home Depot comes with a warning that materials used to make it contain known carcinogens.
> I'm not sure that I would want that in my living space, so my vote is for rosin paper.


I researched this, and the roofing felt I purchased from Rona (BP Canada #15 RF403) is completely safe http://www.bpcan.com/upload/products/Publications/res/msds/MSDS_RE001.pdf

The products they use in the states (which might be what HD carries) is unbelievably brutal, skin irritation, carcinogenic, hazardous if airborne, etc etc. You might as well take a bath in asbestos and chow down on some lead paint.


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## pyper (Jul 1, 2009)

Fiberglas insulation has formaldehyde and there are all sorts of noxious things in plywood and wall to wall carpet, but people use them all the time. Alcohol can cause cancer too, but people consume it.

It's not like you're going to eat the felt, or even roll around on it -- it's gong to be under a layer of wooden flooring. I'm in the process of putting down bamboo flooring on 15# felt from either Home Depot or Lowes. I didn't notice any warning label on it, but maybe there was. I did see that it was made in Eutaw, Alabama. It doesn't bother _my _skin, but I realize that's not the same thing as meaning it can't bother someone...


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## repair24/7 (Oct 26, 2009)

not commenting on the post at hand. but would like to give a shout out to pinwheel45. enjoyed the pics on a kitchen remodel you did awhile back.great looking job


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## msv (Dec 4, 2009)

ok.... a few things... 
1.the link to the quiet walk: it states clearly that it is for floaring or laminate. were you gonna float your floor or nail it? cause nails will pierce it and then youwould have spent ur money for nothing.
2. you can find cork for 50 cents/sqft. why go for something that's the Economical choice whe"n compared to cork or rubber."? 
3. rosin paper hav no value whatsoever under your flooring. it's best purpose is to maybe cover the floor when you paint or walk on them to protect them from smudges, drops. (not good for protection from scratches as it rips easily).

4.15# felt all the way. 30# is kinda too much. 
5. aquabar is kinda new, but it is said to be as good as the 15#, only that it does not mark your baseboard when you lay it down.
MSV, www.getyourfloors.com


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