A sleeper is a low-profile wooden member fastened flat against a concrete floor or structural deck to provide a nailing surface for finished floorboards. Sleepers create a shallow cavity between the slab and the floor, which allows for air circulation, minor leveling adjustments, and the routing of cables or thin insulation. They are essential when installing traditional hardwood over concrete.
Heard on the job
Shoot the sleepers into the concrete slab every sixteen inches so we have something to nail the oak boards to.
Also heard as
- sleeper joist
- furring strip
Do not mix it up with
- Joisting: Joists are primary structural members that span open spaces, while sleepers rest directly on a solid surface like concrete.