Floating engineered wood floor on porch slab
We have an enclosed 3 season porch on our 1927 bungalow. It’s not insulated, but is weathertight. I’d like to put a wood floor down, but am thinking engineered wood floor to save vertical space (I’d rather it be flush or lower than the house) and deal with temp fluctuations.
Assuming I lose some space after leveling the slab, I have room for ~1 inch foam (eps? xps? poly?) and one of the engineered floating click floors. If insulate, should I still put down a poly sheet first? Anything between the insulation and the flooring?
Most of the brands I’ve looked at say they need to be maintained >50-60 degrees. Is that strictly necessary or just a rec? Wouldn’t floating it mitigate issues from temp fluctuations?
Are there other/better assemblies I should be thinking about?
Replies
Depends on which engineered flooring you use. some are layers of venneer with a finished surface. Some are composites of plastics. As for the temperature specification, these floors move, expand and contract with temperature changes and the manufacturer has to limit their liability and instruction scope.
Of the "click" types (Mannington), they come with an integral foam backing. 1/8" Thick rolls of padding is also recommended and available from flooring supplier. These address pressure/ hardness of feel of the floor - not warmth.
If you use an insulation layer, you should use a rigid insulation material that's compression resistant. I don't think 25psi is enough for use on a porch.
A layer of poly sheeting, if used, should be laid direction below the finish flooring,
Frankie