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Installing wood floor on a slab

| Posted in Construction Techniques on October 27, 2006 07:07am

I have done a bunch of wood floors on top of plywood, but I now have a customer that wants a wood floor on a slab. This is unusual here in the Chicago area as most homes have basements or at least a crawl. The slab is above grade, so I don’t have that issue to deal with. I understand that there are a couple of methods to installing this:

1) glue to wood to the slab. – what is required here in terms of vapor barrier and how is all this attached firmly? What type of glues are recommended?

2) install a 3/4″ plywood underlayment, again glued down, and then install the floor normally. This method obviously raises the floor level for these rooms an 1-1/2″, not necessarily the best option.

Any help you guys can provide would be great.

 

Thanks,

Eric Deichstetter

Kingfisher Renovations & More

 

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Replies

  1. stevent1 | Oct 27, 2006 08:15pm | #1

    When your customer is choosing the floor the manufacture will say if it can be used over concrete. Some engineered flooring products might work but you will need an uncoupling membrane of some type.

    Chuck S

    live, work, build, ...better with wood

  2. IdahoDon | Oct 27, 2006 10:10pm | #2

    We had great results with those 2' square osb pannels that snap together over the concrete floor and the hardwood is simply nailed on in the normal manner.  The bottom of the osb has a vapor barrier plastic base with nubs or nipples that raise it off the floor 1/4" or so.

    Cost at Home depot was $5 or so for a 2' square tile or less than $1.50/square foot.

     

    Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

  3. DougU | Oct 29, 2006 06:45am | #3

    Eric

    I just did a big remodel job where we had eng. floor glued directly to the slab, slab on grade.

    That was common in TX, dont know how it would apply to you in Chicago though. I know that here in Iowa we are doing a job that is going to have eng. flooring glued down. New house with a good vapor block installed.

    Are you sure the concrete doesnt have problems with moisture?  Tape a 2' X 2' piece of plastic down on the floor and leave it there for a day or two, if no moisture shows up then you should be OK for a glue down. I'm no floor guy so take this for what you paid for it.

    Doug

     

    1. kngfshr | Oct 29, 2006 04:52pm | #4

      Doug,At this point, the customer is just discussing the idea, there is currently carpet on the floor. If theyh decide to get serious, I will have to do the moisture test as you suggest.Eric

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