I am buying a condo with a concrete floor. It is not on the ground floor level. I would like to install wood flooring and am not a fan of Pergo style options or vinyl. Should I glue engineered flooring? I don’t really want to install sleepers but I would consider putting down 3/4” plywood. Moisture shouldn’t be an issue on the third floor. I have installed a lot of hardwood flooring, but only over plywood subfloors in single family homes.
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Most engineering flooring requires a vapor barrier and nothing else. The floors usually snap together and the entire thing floats on the concrete. We're installing a lot of vinyl planks that look like wood and eliminate any concerns about moisture.
I just did the same thing, albeit for slab on grade. Placed 1 in of foil faced EPS (foil side up) taped the seams (moisture barrier) and then put down 3/4 in plywood. Nailed the floor to the plywood.
use engineered wood flooring either 3/8 or 1/2. There are many varieties and styles. Glue down with glue that also acts as a vapor barrier. Although you probably do not need the vapor barrier for floors above the the ground floor. The vapor barrier glue is expensive, about $100 per gallon. It works great and the flooring will look good. The most important thing in a good install over concrete is to get your floor flat. Take your time filling and grinding. Use a minimum 10 foot straight edge.
My experience with hard surface flooring installation, is that you also need to consider sound transmission or IIC( impact insulation class) otherwise you may be creating issue s with tenant living below. Where I reside, I believe many of condominium requirements request a IIC of 60. I have been out of the installation market for the past couple of years,it appears that luxury vinyl flooring is becoming more popular popular such as XL Flooring
So, you don’t think the concrete is enough mass to limit high heels on that engineered floor?
I guess I should have asked about the floor/ceiling makeup before I originally commented. My experience/ understanding is that concrete can work well for air bound sound transmission but does not do well for impact sound ( hard sole shoes) Although if the building is designed with suspended ceiling below concrete floor, it should provide a break from foot traffic/ moving furniture. Just a suggestion but you may want to research properties of sound transmission. I recall from a few years ago ,as a subcontractor, tore out carpet and direct glued engineered hardwood to concrete substrate . Looked great but unfortunately for couple residing below did not receive the same enthusiasm.
If you look at Bostic wood floor adhesives,( there are several other brands as well) not only are they vapor barriers but sound barriers as well. The glue is infused small rubber pellets which act as tiny spacers which give the glue the proper thickness under the wood to act as a vapor barrier and sound barrier.
http://www.bostik.com/globalassets/global-assets/markets--solutions/construction-adhesive/floor-adhesive/case-studies/hardwood-flooring.pdf
ive put ice and water membrane down on the slab first then 3/4 foam with 3/4 fir stip as sleepers then floor. Also done vb, foam, osb screwd to concrete then floor. PITA lots of drilling lots of screws
I put in a laminate floor in a bathroom as a replacement for ceramic tile and had to take out the tile so the new floor would not interfere with the door. As a result, I had to deal with a very rough concrete sub-floor.
The procedure recommended by the supplier and the one I used was to apply leveling compound to the rough concrete and lay down a 3 -4 mm thick foam cushioning as a base for the click-together laminate boards. No glue whatsoever was needed or used. There are baseboards snug down on the laminate at two of the five sides of the floor.
When it comes to noise transmission through concrete, thickness of the concrete is quite important. Not too much is going to come through eight inches of concrete. Anything less than that in an apartment house and clashes between tenants should not come as a surprise.