VALUE OF SUB-FLOORS As far as warmth is concerned, there may not be any necessity for the double floor for houses in warm countries. There are other rea sons for double floors besides the heat and cold question. The rough floor is a great con venience to work on during the construction of the building; and in case of a brick, stone, or hollow block building, the rough floor is almost indispensable. Even if one did do without it, there would be the labor of covering the greater part of the floor space with a temporary floor to work on during the construction of the building.
Then, again, the finish floor cannot be laid in advance, so that it can be used to work on; for if so, it would be spoiled, and unfit to be seen when the building was completed.
If hardwood floors are wanted, such as maple, birch, or oak, the best job can be obtained with the thickness laid over a sub-floor; the flooring is not thick enough for a single floor. Rough floors ought to be laid diagonal, and the finish floor laid across them. The finish
floor should never be laid in a building till the plastering is all done and thoroughly dry; in fact, if a nice floor is wanted, it should be the very last part of finishing the building. All the base-boards, casings, and door hanging—in fact, everything should be done before the finish floor is put down. Carpets are not used as much now as formerly, and nice floors are much desired; and these are not possible without the first rough floor to take the wear and tear of the building construction.
If anything like a good building is desired, it is false economy to dispense with the rough floor, no matter what the climate may be; hot or cold, the rough floor has merits that make it worth while to put in. It also adds largely to the strength of a building, both in the floor and to withstand wind pressure when it is a second-story rough floor.