Installing Solid Wood Flooring On A Concrete Slab

Fortunately a variety of flooring materials are water resistant enough to function well over a concrete slab.

Installing solid wood flooring on a concrete slab.

Wood floor over concrete than over a wood subfloor. Installing the wrong kind of flooring over consistently damp concrete may encourage warping and wear over time. The floor clamps come in really handy. Layers of asphalt felt with asphalt mastic or 6 mil polyethylene sheathing are some of the choices.

Add moisture barrier once the slab is dry cover it with a moisture barrier consisting of two layers of tar. It will extend up the wall for about 2 to 3 inches creating a bowl where your wood floor stays dry and protected. Over the most recent thirty years the most popular method of installing solid 3 4 hardwood on concrete was a plywood subfloor attached to the slab illustration above. With solid hardwood floors a proper vapor retarder must be installed on top of the slab to make sure normal slab moisture does not reach the finished floor.

When a concrete slab absorbs moisture it can retain it for a surprisingly long time. Using a minimum 5 8 cdx 3 4 recommended plywood the material is installed over the same moisture barriers mastic excluded but attached by way of concrete fasteners. Dry the slab before you prepare the concrete for hardwood flooring it must be dry. But it s considerably more difficult to install a 3 4 in.

You usually determine this. They make the job quick and easy. Of course if you want to install new flooring it s often best to remove any existing. Subfloors the national wood flooring association recommends two choices in sub flooring systems for concrete installations.

Some of these reasons are. You can hire. Watch this video to see how easy it is. Typically it is sheets of plastic laid on the slab and taped at the seams with waterproof tape.

Wood planks to the plywood. You don t want to try and glue it down either. If you love solid wood floors and your home rests on a concrete slab you re not out of luck. Lay a plastic moisture barrier and then screw 3 4 in.

Before installing any wood floor over concrete you ll need a moisture barrier. It s essential to choose the best option from the available types of floors for your hardwood. Installing hardwood on concrete is not a do it yourself project. If you are planning on installing any type of glue down hardwood floor product you must see the entire concrete surface and make sure that it is flat within 3 16 in a 10 foot radius or 1 8 within a 6 foot radius.

The way you do this is to take a 6 or 10 foot straight edge and place it in various areas on the subfloor. We install a hardwood floor on concrete using the direct stick method. Plywood to the concrete. Can i install hardwood floors on a slab.

Things you ll need step 1.