Master Carpenter: Wood Floors on a Concrete Slab
When gluing prefinished engineered flooring to concrete, detailing the prep and a careful layout are key.
In most of the country, houses are built on concrete slabs. For a flooring contractor, a slab can be a mixed blessing. Concrete is stable, doesn’t bounce, and won’t expand or contract seasonally like wood. However, it does limit the clients’ choices for wood flooring installations. The advent of engineered flooring (hardwood veneer glued to a plywood substrate) made the choice of hardwood on a slab an easy one. Glued down with a urethane adhesive, the flooring won’t move in service, is relatively easy to install, and looks great.
Part of FHB‘s Master Craftsman series, this four-part video is a detailed look at the preparation and process of gluing engineered flooring to a slab. Follow veteran installer Kevin Ward as he describes his thorough prep of the slab, which includes leveling the floor. To determine the layout, Ward snaps a chalkline as a guide, then applies the urethane glue. Working in increments of three to four board widths, he spreads the glue, then puts the flooring down along the chalk line. Buckets filled with sand are used to weight the flooring down in place until the glue dries.
Read the companion article:
Installing Engineered Flooring on a Concrete Slab
